17.07.2020. In 2006, the Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha approved in an extraordinary plenary session a law establishing July 17th of each year as the Day of the Environmental Ombudsman, in homage to the eleven forest firemen who lost their lives while fighting the fire declared in 2005 in the Duchy of Medinaceli (Guadalajara).
This day is a day of reflection that promotes awareness of environmental care and responsible action in forest areas. Law 2/2006, of 17 July, established the celebration of this day in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, «with the aim of expressing the gratitude of the Castilian-La Mancha society towards all the people who have given their lives in defence of the environment, and for those who fight every day to contribute to the improvement and protection of our natural heritage», as stated in the law.
In this sense, the project «Iberian Centre for Research and Fight against Forest Fires» (CILIFO) focuses on the fight against forest fires and their consequences for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change; within a framework of cross-border cooperation for risk prevention and improved management of natural resources in Spain and Portugal in the area of the Euroregion Alentejo – Algarve – Andalusia. CILIFO is framed in the Thematic Objective 5 of the POCTEP Programme: Promoting adaptation to climate change in all sectors; and responds to the investment priority, with respect to the POCTEP Programme, 5B: Promoting investment to address specific risks and ensuring adaptation to disasters and development of disaster management systems.
