The spokesman added that Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso had appointed 55-year-old agricultural engineer Joao Manuel Soares to the position, which will fall under the supervision of the agriculture ministry.

President Jorge Sampaio was to swear in Manuel Soares later on Thursday.

The creation of the new position comes on the same day that the European Parliament approved the release 48.5 million euros (57 million dollars) to help Portugal recover from the deadly fires, which swept across the country between late July and mid-September.

Wildfires have destroyed over 400,000 hectares (990,000 acres) of scrub and woodland so far this year, according to provisional agricultre ministry figures.

This is the largest area of Portugal, one of the EU's poorest members, hit by forest fires since figures began to be collated in 1980.

In addition to the area of land which was burned, the fires destroyed more than 2,300 buildings, including 100 homes, national statistics office INE said Wednesday.

The government estimates the fires caused over one billion euros in damage.

While the heat-fueled wildfires were still raging in August, Durao Barroso announced the government intended to radically restructure the way forests are run in order to reduce the chances of a repeat of the disaster.

The forest and wood products industry represents over three percent of Portugal's gross domestic product and accounts for 11 percent of the nation's exports.

TERRA.WIRE