The authorities of Madrid, Spain, announced this Monday, February 20, the cessation of the felling of trees in a park in the capital to build a metro line, a project that sparked protests.
“The Community of Madrid has stopped the felling of trees planned in the Madrid Río area”, in the west of the capital, “and will modify the construction project for the extension of Metro Line 11”, the Community of Madrid announced in a release.
“The main objective of this measure is that in areas where trees are affected, the largest number of specimens possible are transplanted,” continued the statement from the region, governed by Isabel Díaz Ayuso (Popular Party).
“To do this,” he continued, “the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will commission an individualized analysis of each tree.”
The news comes two days after hundreds of people demonstrated on Saturday, February 18, in the affected park called by the NGO Ecologists in Action. According to the organization, more than 2,000 people attended. The government lowered the figure to 1,000.
In addition to the demonstration, almost 54,000 people signed a petition in change.org against logging.
The environmental group also filed a legal appeal to block the works until the environmental effects are taken into account.
A study published in The Lancet this month he suggested that planting more trees in urban areas to reduce summer temperatures could cut deaths directly related to heat waves by a third.
Caracas and tree pruning
Since 2021 in the different municipalities that make up the Metropolitan Area of Caracas (Venezuela) there have been indiscriminate –and unjustified, according to an ecologist– pruning of trees. Organizations and groups of ecologists and environmentalists have pronounced and protested, but still logging continues.
The most recent case was recorded in Los Palos Grandes (Chacao municipality) where they cut down “a hundred-year-old tree” to prevent it from covering the façade of the new Hard Rock Cafe Caracas.
For several years the Chacao Mayor’s Office has maintained an unjustified (and very aggressive) policy of severe pruning and felling of trees. When walking through certain areas of the municipality, the change is noticeable: there are so many trees missing that it is already relevant ? #SowNoTalen ? pic.twitter.com/QAGWHs1NCG
— Naky Soto ?? (@Naky) February 18, 2023
With information from R.F.I. and 20 minutes
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