Portugal and Spain are to continue their cross-border cooperation along the Guadiana river in a new project to protect the natural areas of its lower reaches. Project ‘Valagua’ was presented today in Castro Marim.
The ‘Project for Environmental Valuation and Integrated Management of Water and Habitats in the Cross-border Lower Guadiana’ will continue until September 2019.
The work aims to contribute to the protection and sustainable management of river’s natural areas, in particular the riverside systems, the development and sharing of management tools used in water and biodiversity sciences, ecotourism and the involvement of social, political and technical partners.
The project is co-financed by the Spain-Portugal Interreg Cooperation Program (POCTEP) 2014-2020, and involves governmental and non-governmental entities from both countries, namely the Mértola Heritage Defence Association as the principal beneficiary, to Huelva Council, the Department of Environment of Andalusia, the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana, Portugal’s Institute of Conservation of Nature and Forests, the Portuguese Environment Agency and lastly, the Association for the Development of Baixo Guadiana which included the universities of Huelva and the Algarve.
Over in Olhão, the RIAS Centre, invites people to come on a field trip on Saturday 21st to look at migratory birds.
The Ria Formosa, where RIAS is located, is a natural shelter and feeding ground for many species of birds during their migration.
The meeting point for the trip, organised in conjunction with the council, is at the entrance of Quinta de Marim in Olhão at 9:00 am. The activity is free, but mandatory registration at rias.aldeia@gmail.com or by 927659313.
