Funchal, Portugal, April 23, 2025 (Lusa) - The Forestry and Nature Conservation Institute (IFCN) of Portugal's autonomous region of Madeira last year collected €351,000 from the fee charged for the use of classified hiking trails, on which 24 accidents were also reported in 2024, with one fatality and 23 injuries. 

In the first quarter of this year, the Forest Police Corps, a body under the supervision of the IFCN, recorded four accidents on classified trails, resulting in three injuries and one fatality - the latter being a young man of German nationality who allegedly left the trail to take photographs and fell off a cliff over 200 metres high, in the Pico do Areeiro area.

According to data provided by the IFCN, the fee charged on the recommended routes between October and December 2024 generated revenue of €351,000. The figure for the first quarter of this year has not yet been calculated. 

The €3 fee was initially applied to only seven trails, but since 1 January it has covered all 38 recommended routes in the Madeira archipelago, the most popular being Ponta de São Lourenço, Pico do Areeiro, Balcões and Pico Ruivo. The fee - also known as the "waste tax" - is charged to all tourists over the age of 12 using the trails, with residents of the region exempt from payment. 

Payment can be made via the ‘Simplifica’ platform, managed by the regional government, or directly at the locations where there are IFCN posts. There is the possibility of changing routes once booked. 

DC/ARO // ARO.

Lusa