The proposal to amend regional law 14 for the protection and enhancement of the monumental olive trees of Puglia, so feared by environmentalists, was voted unanimously today. Let's briefly summarize the story. Everything started a few months ago, with the attempt to introduce a deadline of 60 days for the release of authorizations for the removal and movement of the centuries-old Apulian olive trees, after which, according to environmentalists, the entity or private owner of the land on which they insist monumental trees can be moved or replanted on the same property.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
"Nobody touches the olive trees of Puglia!". This is the request sent online by a group of citizens to the President of the Region against the bill presented by Massimo Cassano, regional councilor of the PDL, which aims to export Salento olive groves.
La variation proposal area of regional law 14 for the "Protection and enhancement of the monumental olive trees of Puglia“, So feared by environmentalists, was voted unanimously today. Let's briefly summarize the story. It all started a few months ago, with the attempt to introduce a 60-day deadline for issuing explant permits and to the displacement of the centuries-old Apulian olive trees, after which, according to environmentalists, “the entity or private owner of the land on which the monumental trees stand can move them or replant them on the same property“.
Although the authorities reiterated that it is moving the olive trees does not necessarily coincide with the replacement of plants with concrete pours, but with other initiatives related to the Sustainable Development, the ecologists and the Apulians do not look favorably on the so-called leggina, which from today, at the proposal of Massimo Cassano provides 90 days for the collection of opinions: "The amendments establish that the land improvement works allowed on land with significant presence of monumental olive trees must be carried out without causing damage to existing plants. The bill incorporates a bill that introduces the 90-day deadline within which the opinions on the possible movement of the olive trees must be communicated to the applicants ".
The Councilor for Environmental Quality also spoke on the issue Lorenzo Nicastro, which in one note on the Region's website, he says: "First of all, what is tendentiously defining itself as a 'law that authorizes the removal' in fact arises from the desire to fill a vulnerability of the previous law which, it should be remembered, already provided for the faculty for commission of authorize explant and that, by limiting the time limit of three years from approval, it would have exhausted its protective function at the end of 2011. In this perspective, therefore, the Region has regulated the protection of the bond on monumental olive trees, not to eliminate it but to strengthen it by avoiding the danger of a wild explant “.
But according to the Councilor, more will be provided for involvement of local authorities: "Furthermore, in amending the existing law, the possibility of involving local authorities through participation in the regional commission was introduced, precisely by virtue of a desire to enhance listening to the territories involved".
And then the justification concerning the deadline of 90 days, which according to Nicastro, "would be the shortcut offered to the explants: currently the regional commission evaluates the requests within a period of 30 days, for this reason the limit introduced is amply sufficient to ensure the correct procedure of the procedures for the removal request without risk of violence of the natural heritage ".
But how can we protect these pieces of natural history, which are in serious danger of being damaged? An example, alas negative, is that of Carpignano, a place where thousands of olive trees, 140 of which are monumental, have been torn from the earth. And to think that recently Ostuni, Brindisi and Fasano have started the process for the recognition of such splendid plants as UNESCO heritage.
Who knows what will happen with the olive-killing law.
Francesca Mancuso
