Porsche will clear a forest in Puglia to expand its test track

Cutting down trees with the promise of replanting them.This is what is foreseen by the plan drawn up by the German car manufacturer Porsche which, in agreement with the Puglia Region, he announced the felling of a large portion of forest to expand the complex of car tracks (the Nardò Technical Center) located in Salento, which he uses to test cars to sell.A construction that will involve the expropriation - one of the largest ever carried out recently in Puglia - of 351 hectares of land, belonging to 134 different owners in the Nardò area, in the province of Lecce, in the name of the "public utility" of the project.A denomination without which the public administration would not have been able to take possession of the properties.

A story that has raised doubts, fears and discontent since August 10th - the day the agreement was signed - for various reasons.First of all, as regards some of the farmers and breeders involved (those in possession of small or unproductive land, however, have fewer reasons to be annoyed by the project, even if the amount of the reimbursement is not yet known), who have reported the lack of adequate communication of what was happening on the part of the regional administration (although NTC says it met them, informed them and listened to them, but it is not clear how or when).

The second reason, not least, has to do with the environmental issue.The area of ​​the NTC track is in fact covered by a Mediterranean forest containing species of ancient shrubs that are practically unavailable elsewhere.As explains Italia Nostra, National Association for the protection of the historical, artistic and natural heritage, the interventions of the industrial plan directly affect the Special Conservation Area Palude del Conte and Punta Prosciutto Dunes, «an area of ​​particular environmental value» because among others things «preserves holm oak forests almost completely disappeared in Salento" and rare botanical species – without taking into account the animals that depend on them.

A secular flora which therefore cannot be put back on its feet by the planting promised by Porsche and, even more seriously, supported by the Region which is a treasure chest of such treasures.Especially considering that the province of Lecce already faces enormous problems with trees and land on a daily basis:just think of Xylella, the bacterium that he devoured the olive trees of the lower Salento, to fires fueled by desertification and others land consumption, which he achieved in 2021 the highest value of the last ten years, amounting to around 158,695 hectares, equal to 8.2% of the territory (up 498.6% compared to 2020).

The third has to do with the motivation for the agreement.The Region he declared that the project to expand the runways, built by Fiat around the Seventies, is of public utility:in fact, the administration claims that the expropriation requires Porsche to take charge of interventions on more than 500 surrounding hectares, aimed above all at to "environmental improvement" and "naturalistic reforestation".

But Porsche's construction plan mainly states that other test tracks will be built within the largest ring - more than 12 kilometers long - and that technical buildings will be built, others aimed at logistics and maintenance, a service for cars and trucks, parking and other similar interventions.The construction of a medical center with a heliport and a fire station is also planned.Apart from the last structure, which could actually help put out the flames if necessary, the project does not show any particular points that justify the "environmental improvement".Nor, therefore, deforestation.

[by Gloria Ferrari]