Activities of João FERREIRA related to 2019/2157(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the European Forest Strategy - The Way Forward
Amendments (23)
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Takes the view that forests must be protected by means of other policies, such as agricultural, rural development and trade policies, and by bringing an end to restrictions on national public investment;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Takes the view that the common agricultural policy, the underfunding, privatisation and dismantling of public services, including professional agricultural and forestry extension services, and the dominance of monopolies in the timber sector have stifled thousands of small-scale foresters, undermined forests' multifunctionality and the sustainability of forest ecosystems, resulted in poor forest planning and facilitated abandonment of the countryside by allowing large areas to be abandoned;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Take the view that it is of the utmost importance that access to EU support for forests be simplified and red tape cut, taking into account the difficulties faced by small and medium- sized land owners and even by some public entities;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Urges the Commission and the Member States, when they approve and introduce their forestry management plans, to adopt special measures to support biodiversity, specifically measures to conserve protected species and natural habitats that improve their status, both inside and outside Natura 2000 areas;
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Calls for the establishment of a specific financial instrument for the management of areas in the Natura 2000 network, particularly special areas of conservation, with a view to the more effective adoption of suitable conservation measures for habitats and species protected by EU legislation;
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers that, with a view to increasing the value of forestry and forest ecosystems, producers' income should be taken into account, necessitating measures intended to: ensure fair prices for timber production; make family farming an integral part of protecting against forest fires; ensure respect for small-scale forest owners, providing them with the support and means to manage forests efficiently;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Points out that the vulnerability of forests is made clear by the recurrence and extent of forest fires, the dominance of alien species, the prevalence of pests and forestry producers' inadequate income; stresses that one of the causes of this vulnerability is the lack of investment and of people, factors which are inextricably linked to the EU's policies and guidelines;
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Takes the view that the timber production price is essential to ensuring the interest and involvement of owners in the active management of forestry, with regard, specifically, to protecting forests and fostering their multifunctionality, ensuring the sustainability of forest ecosystems and favouring native species;
Amendment 160 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Takes the view that the EU's forest strategy should help to reverse the trend of native species increasingly being overlooked in favour of fast-growing alien species, such as the eucalyptus;
Amendment 166 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Takes the view that information on forest resources and forests' condition is essential to ensuring that decisions taken on forests are as socio-economically and ecologically beneficial as possible, at all levels;
Amendment 167 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Recalls that national forest inventories provide the majority of the information required on forest resources; proposes that efforts be made to harmonise this information with a view to improving its comparability and to extending the scope of forest inventory systems beyond wood production aspects, to include sustainable forest management criteria and indicators, together with socio-economic information from woodland areas;
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Considers it important to provide for not only the conservation and management of existing forests but also the reforestation of deforested areas; considers that stress must also be placed on the need for widespread reforestation in areas that have been affected by recurring forest fires;
Amendment 190 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers it essential to preserve endemic genetic resources and select those elements of the existing gene pool that are best adapted to expected growing conditions in the future;
Amendment 196 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Stresses the importance of other forest-related activities, specifically the harvesting of non-wood forest products, such as mushrooms and soft fruit, along with grazing and beekeeping;
Amendment 197 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Stresses that forest fires are a regular occurrence, and are both a cause and a consequence of climate change; notes that storms, forest fires and pests can be mitigated using improved and more active forest management and forestry techniques through, for example, grazing and agro-forestry practices, which should be supported within the framework of the common agricultural policy;
Amendment 200 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Recalls the need to protect forests from growing threats and to reconcile their productive and protective functions, taking into account that drought, fires, storms and pests are expected to damage forests more frequently and more severely as a result of climate change;
Amendment 242 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Draws attention to the need to develop and introduce plans to tackle invasive species, equipped with specific human, technical and financial resources for that purpose;
Amendment 252 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Considers that belated steps are needed to introduce an EU disaster- prevention approach and that it should be provided with appropriate financial resources from the EU budget;
Amendment 256 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Considers that the condition of forests needs to be monitored, by keeping records on forest resources, forest fires and pest outbreaks in the EU, through data on droughts and through forest inventories, which should provide up-to- date biodiversity information;
Amendment 260 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5e. Takes the view that a system monitoring pest outbreaks in the EU may be needed to obtain the full picture with regard to the condition of forests and their impact on forest biodiversity, given the expected impact of climate change on distribution of harmful organisms;
Amendment 261 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)
Paragraph 5 f (new)
5f. Takes the view that urgent action should be taken to prevent the introduction through international trade of new pests and diseases and their respective vectors;
Amendment 262 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 g (new)
Paragraph 5 g (new)
5g. Believes that, taking into account legislation on invasive alien species and the potential repercussions that these species may have on forests, the Commission should propose new complementary financial tools to help affected areas tackle invasive species, particularly persistent and new alien species;
Amendment 263 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 h (new)
Paragraph 5 h (new)
5h. Considers that more attention should be paid to the problem of diseases, such as oak decline, that affect trees, which are in decline around the world as a result of pests, diseases and climate change; draws attention to oak decline, which is ravaging cork-oak plantations in Portugal, France and Spain and is also affecting special protection areas (SPAs) and biosphere reserves; believes that the Commission should have included in the strategy effective measures and specific resources for tackling tree diseases;