Nature conservation in Portugal: torn pockets, without notes or coins | Nature
Portugal could be incredible, Mediterranean, between hot mountains and cold mountains and the Atlantic. It could be, but it isn’t. Forests with various species from places to monocultures, mountains with life gave to lunar landscapes and species of animals. In Portugal, conserving what remains of ecosystems is no longer enough. We need to restore and to restore we need a long-term vision, a commitment and funds, financing, investment.
There is a lack of investment for nature conservation: in Portugal, many millions; and in the world, billions of euros. It’s not the biologists who say, are the economists.
First, for the Portuguese State, conservation and nature are not a priority, they have little importance, resources or strategy. Word from the Court of Auditors and the European Judicial Court. Protected areas on paper, habitat degradation, threatened species and structural structures: this is the Portuguese reality from north to south. As a consequence, available funds are little or nothing.
Second, when there is money tied to nature conservation, the focus tends to be on research rather than action. In Portugal, CIBIO, one of the largest ecological research centers in the country, received in 2019, close to 150 million for search. It is important, but in comparison, projects on the ground receive a thousands of euros, or with luck, a few million, through similar European funding. A situation also common in Europe and the world: the famous case of the biologist Enric Sala mirrors the situation well. An academic tired of making the “obituary of nature”, became a conservationist on the ground.
When the State is absent, civil society, in the form of associations with nature, informally assumes the role. A classic instrument for the conservation and restoration of nature is the Life, but complementary sources are not mandatory — it does not finance initiatives 100% and, in Portugal, it is co-financed by the State. Something common in other European countries, such as Spain or Francewhich facilitates access to European funds.
Fourth, nature conservation philanthropy in Portugal is rare. The case of Viridia and Fundação Belmiro, both initiatives of the Azevedo family, are isolated. They finance projects from north to south of the country, from the beaches of the Algarve to the gorges of the Douro, with some scale.
Fifth, dependence on environmental compensation measures. The Iberian lynx breeding center in Silves — compensation for the Odelouca dam. One of the largest areas dedicated to nature conservation in Portugal is the Herdade da Coitadinha with around 1000 hectares — protected by the Alqueva dam. The Vulture and Eagle Recovery Center, one of the best on the Iberian Peninsula in Trás-os-Montes — compensation for the Sabor dam. The reintroduction of roe deer in Serra da Freita, Arada and Montemuro — compensation for the impact of wind farms on Iberian wolf packs. It’s a lesser evil, but nature conservation cannot be dependent on projects that destroy, threaten, or the natural world for funding.
Big bills to destroy and small coins to take care of. Some money for research, but little or nothing for action by comparison. There is no magic solution; there are steps in the right direction. Partnerships Are Needed Between governments and philanthropistsbetween scientists and conservatives.
More investment is needed, but it is equally important that it is used in an efficient and intelligent way, with new ideas. Bet on interventions in “makeup”, such as mechanized land clearing, instead of restoring populations of herbivores; restore water lines, rather than reintroduce the beaver; Sapper goats instead of financiers reintroduce the mountain goat… These are short-term, expensive and human-dependent solutions that do not complete ecosystems or restore natural processes. They cannot be a long-term solution to preserving biodiversity.
A positive and attractive speech people, a negative and pessimistic speech away. You need to tell a story of opportunity and hope. O agricultural abandonment is a unique singularity found in years to areas to nature. There are many species that can come back to Portugal if given a chance (beaver, monese goat, our white-tailed eagle, bonebreaker, brown bear, sea turtles, seals and many others), natural parks such as Serra da Estrela or Malcata , among others, can be among the best in Europe, and be fertile ground for the economic development of rural areas. It’s a choice.
It’s time to see challenges, not problems. It is time to dream of opportunities, not defeatism. It’s time for action. Nature stores carbon, mitigates and adapts the landscape to climate change, gives the resources for our economy, or that we breathe, the food we have on our plate and makes our human experience richer, more wonderful and special.
Conservation and restoration of the natural world deserves big bills, not small coins. Shall we invest in nature?