The Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) has said that the team of Nature Wardens stationed on the Desertas Islands is safe and remains in permanent contact with the institute.
The statement follows the circulation of a video showing heavy rain on the islands. The footage was first shared by Fernando Chacón, a collaborator of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), and was later amplified by MP Miguel Castro. The IFCN says the team has a redundant communications system that keeps contact possible even if regular channels are disrupted.
IFCN president Manuel Filipe said the safety of staff is an absolute priority and that nothing puts the wardens' lives at risk. The institute also noted that the wooden building housing the team was designed for local conditions, and that heavy rain is common on the islands in winter. It criticised the release of footage without context, which it said caused unwarranted alarm.