Problèmes de la forêt au Portugal

Present problems of the forest's economy in Portugal. The increasing extent of woods has deeply altered the characters of the Portuguese landscapes since the end of the 18th century. This expansion was promoted by the State's institutions and supported by the economic evolution. Nevertheless the social groups of forest owners and foresters were left over and seemed unable to take more than a few part in the accompanying social evolution, because these trends and changes had few consequences if any on the agrarian structures. The recent changes that affected wooded properties as well as agricultural and timber exploitations clearly enlightened this point. At the same time, the State's timber policy was almost entirely aimed at reforestation and the extension of forest laws that could not fit the local realities. So that most Portuguese forests are recent ones and social weakness is their most prominent feature. Because there is nowadays harder social and economic competition between the social classes and institutions that wish to increase their mastery over these forests, their ecological balance is brought into danger.En moins de deux siècles, la physionomie des paysages portugais a été profondément modifiée par l'accroissement de la superficie forestière, dirigé ou encouragé par l'Etat et par l'évolution économique. Mais le trop lent déblocage des structures rurales a provoqué une marginalisation sociale des milieux forestiers, dévoilée par les mutations récentes de la propriété et de l'exploitation agro-forestières. De plus, la politique forestière de l'Etat est restée essentiellement fondée sur le reboisement et l'élaboration d'une législation inapplicable localement. Les massifs forestiers portugais, jeunes pour la plupart, sont ainsi caractérisés par une certaine fragilité sociale. Actuellement renforcée par un enjeu forestier croissant, elle met en danger l'équilibre écologique des forêts.A Floresta em Portugal. : Em menos de dois séculos, a fisionomía des paisagens portuguesas transformou-se profundamente pelo crescimento da superficie florestal, dirigido ou facilitado pelo Estado e pela evoluçâo económica. Mas o desbloqueamento demasiadamente lento das estruturas rurais pro- vocou uma marginalizaçâo social dos meios florestais, revelada alias pelas recentes mutaçôes da propriedade e exploraçâo agro-florestais. Além disso a política florestal do Estado continuou essencialmente baseada no reflorestamento e na elaboraçào de uma legislaçâo muitas vezes inaplicável à nivel local. Os maciços florestais portugueses, j ovens na sua maioria, sâo pois caracterizados por uma certa fragilidade social. Actualmente reforçada pelos intéresses contrarios que pairam sobre o dominio florestal, essa fragilidade póe em perigo o equilibrio ecológico das matas.Devy-Vareta Nicole. Problèmes de la forêt au Portugal. In: Revue géographique des Pyrénées et du Sud-Ouest, tome 51, fascicule 3, 1980. Espagne Portugal. pp. 345-360