To
Virginijus
Sinkevičius
European
Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries
CC:
To
Ursula von der Leyen,
President of the European Comission
To
João Pedro
Matos Fernandes
Minister for the
Environment and Climate Action, Portugal
Topic: Revaluation of the career of Portuguese Park
Rangers (Vigilante da Natureza)
The National Park Rangers
Corps was created in 1975, as a Specialized Corps for the Preservation of the
Environment and Nature Conservation, but this project was only materialized in
1987.
In 2008 Law No. 12-A /
2008 of 27 February was created, and since then the Portuguese Association of Park
Rangers, referred as Associação Portuguesa de Guardas e Vigilantes da Natureza,
has been asking the various governments to review the special career of Park
Ranger.
This Portuguese
Association expresses its indignation at the contempt and abandonment that the
career of Park Ranger has suffered by successive governments since 1999, an
abandonment that is manifested in non-compliance with Decree-Law No. 470/99, of
6 November, which remains to be regulated and implemented even in such trivial
matters related to working conditions, such as uniform, means of communication,
means of transport, professional training and training, use and possession of
weapons, reduced number of staff and working hours. This abandonment has been
aggravated by successive governments by allowing the revaluation of this career,
imposed by Law 12.A / 2008, of 27 February to be postponed, leading to concern
and discouragement for Park Rangers who manage, in the name of the Portuguese
State, the sovereign function of defending classified natural heritage, water
resources, spatial planning, the environment and nature conservation, and who
feel they are not treated properly, so we ask that a specific diploma be
published that revalue their professional function, and which halt the loss of
established rights.
The European Union's
Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 will focus on building a Europe-wide network of
protected areas at land and sea level; in concrete commitments to restore
degraded systems and rehabilitate biological diversity, but all this will only
be possible with a serious investment in the National Park Ranger Corps,
because these professionals are the effective guarantor of the safeguarding of
Nature.
The role of Park Rangers
is essential for the recovery and protection of indigenous forests, soils and
wetlands, which are essential factors in achieving the mitigation of climate
change. They protect the Protected Areas (National Park, Natural Parks, Natural
Reserves and Classified Sites), National Woods, Forests and the Natura 2000
Network, helping unequivocally to conserve biodiversity. In fact, the loss of
biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems, two of the greatest threats that
humanity faces in the next decade, will only be avoided with the awareness of
the people to this reality and with an evident bet on the National Park Rangers.
The Portuguese Park
Rangers intend to alert the European Commissioner, to the urgency and the
pertinence of regularizing the precarious situation in which they find
themselves, with loss of efficiency and authority, as well as the existing
emergency for the definition of a hierarchical organizational model, national,
responsible, motivated, valued, qualified and equipped to comply with
legislation, for the inspection, surveillance, monitoring and safeguarding of
natural resources.
We hope that the
Honourable European Commissioner will promote the correction of these
shortcomings to the Portuguese Government and that the Park Ranger career will
be reformulated and upgraded, with the publication of the specific diplomas
missing and the definition of rules of unique and unambiguous implementation
for all Ministry of Environment services.
We do everything and will
continue to do for the sustainable future of our profession and in ethical and
uncompromising defence of the natural values we have sworn to defend and
preserve.
The Associação Portuguesa
de Guardas e Vigilantes da Natureza considers that with the creation of
dignified and functional organizational and working conditions, as well as the
effective framing of the functions of Park Rangers for purposes of inspection,
surveillance and monitoring emanating from the legislation in force and
oriented by criteria of planning and efficiency they will allow the effective
protection of the environment in Portugal.
Bearing in your highest consideration
everything that we have narrated previously, we ask you, Commissioner, to lead
the adoption of effective measures so that the review of the Park Ranger’s
career takes effect.
We present Your
Excellency, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries of the European
Commission, Virginijus Sinkevičius, our highest consideration.
Sintra, 24th of
September 0f 2020
The President
of the Associação Portuguesa de Guardas e Vigilantes da Natureza
Francisco
Correia
