Thread by @Luscinia_joshua

Revealing & important article in today’s @expresso on political interference in the approval of Montijo airport:
“Montijo airport was approved despite thumbs down from technical staff”

Thread to translate the main points 1/11

leitor.expresso.pt/semanario/sema…

Technical staff at #ICNF (Institute for Conservation of Nature & Forests, part of @govpt) told bosses to reject the application, early in the evaluation.

“The project will have significant, permanent & irreversible negative impacts on the avifauna of the estuary.” 2/11

Internal doc signed by techs and directors highlights that “affecting 20% of #birds’ feeding area risks the integrity of the whole SPA”

It concluded, considering #BirdsDirective of @EU_ENV, that their verdict “must be negative”, on pain of “possible future community litigation”

But the Board of Directors of #Portugal’s national conservation authority instead got technical staff to come up with mitigation & compensation measures to reduce the airport’s negative impacts. 4/11

They then hired big legal firm @VdA_Associados to strengthen those measures legally.

Reminder: this is @govpt’s #environmental authority, paying for lawyers to help private company @VINCIAirports build an airport through an SPA, against its own staff’s advice. 5/11

Nuno Banza, president of ICNF’s board of directors, had been appointed by the Minister of Environment @ambiente_pt just six months earlier.

He declined to comment to @expresso 6/11

This was intended to avoid @govpt using a declaration of “public interest” to override environmental objections, based on PM @antoniocostapm’s view that there is no alternative location.

However, no formal comparison has been conducted – a requirement under #BirdsDirective. 7/11

After #ICNF gave thumbs up, env regulator @apambiente gave green light to the airport.

One complaint, to @unep_aewa, is already underway. Another, to EU @IMPELNetwork @EU_ENV, is forthcoming. 8/11

Within #Portugal, pressure on @govpt is increasing from #environment NGOs like @spea_birdlife @LPNatureza @WWF_Portugal @ZEROasts @ArochaPortugal @ptfapas

and from local govs of affected areas @CMMoita – who @govpt wants to ignore 9/11

International solidarity has come through @BirdLifeEurope, esp @vogelnieuws whose petition against the airport now has >30k signatures

vogelbescherming.nl/petition-black… 10/11

In the year of the #EUGreenDeal we know that @IMPELNetwork has our back.

The only question is how much time, money and goodwill @govpt will waste trying to force this location against the wishes of locals, the needs of #conservation and the law. 11/11