“There cannot exist abandoned territories in Portugal”
“ANthere is still a lot to be done for the conservation of nature and biodiversity, essential for our sources, and we cannot have any abandoned territory in Portugal, because they must all be managed”, pointed out João Pedro Matos Fernandes, in Silves, Algarve.
The minister of Environment and Climate Action presided today at the presentation of the proposal for the creation of the Lagoa dos Salgados Public Reserve, in the town of Pera, in the municipality of Silves, a document that is being consulted on Thursday.
The official considers that the classification of the reserve – covered by the municipalities of Albufeira and Silves – as a nationally protected area, “is a very relevant step in the preservation of nature, in a country where there is much to be done in environmental terms”.
“It is a very important step, because for 21 years in Portugal there was no protected area of national interest, a recognition of the concession that the preservation of this territory as a contribution to the development of the Algarve”, he added.
According to João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Lagoa dos Salgados “is an area with numerous different environmental values in its 400 hectares, with a lot of biodiversity and with the need to restore portions of some ecosystems”.
“It is in fact a 400-hectare buffer to guarantee the quality of the ecosystem and, for that very reason, to enhance the value of the entire Algarve territory and the country”, he stressed.
Asked about the intention to build about 4,000 beds there and permissions acquired by the landowners included in the reserve classification proposal, the government official assured that “nothing was ever licensed for the site”.
“Since there was no licensing, our understanding is that, obviously, there are no acquired rights. This ends up being irrelevant, a classification is coming, it’s done and once concluded, there will certainly be no beds at all,” he said.
The government official admits that the owners “may come to contest and claim the right they feel they have” during the period of public discussion, but said he believes that the classification will even advance.
“From the moment that all public entities, non-governmental and environmental organizations, are in agreement and the studies carried out point to a classification of the protected area, they are certain that it will really be a protected area”, he concluded.
The classification of Lagoa dos Salgados has long been claimed by various environmental associations, with a vast area known as Praia Grande, which includes a wetland – Sapal / Foz da Ribeira de Alcantarilha – which is of great scientific interest at the level geological and biological for the number and variety of bird species and for its rich flora, which is the result of a mosaic of habitats.
The proposal for classification as a reserve – covered by the municipalities of Albufeira and Silves – as a nationally protected area, enters into public discussion on Thursday and will last for 30 days.
The process can be consulted on the website of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), at https://www.icnf.pt/, and on the Participa website, at https://participa.pt/.
The documents can be consulted in person at the ICNF central services, at Avenida da República, n.º 16, in Lisbon, and at the Regional Directorate for Nature Conservation and Forests of the Algarve, at the Center for Environmental Education in Marim, Quelfes, Olhão.
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