This week, Lagoa council appeared to finally get its way as heavy machinery rolled onto the parcel of land on the outskirts of Lagoa known for centuries as Alagoas Brancas, to begin the destruction of a wetland of considerable ecological and environmental importance.
The Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) have released a statement warning that “the destruction of the Alagoas Brancas wetland in Lagoa is imminent”.
“The municipal executive of Lagoa authorized a real estate developer to carry out the urbanization work of Alagoas Brancas. The earthworks and destruction of natural vegetation began last week”, advances SPEA.
“The destruction of this wetland jeopardizes the safety of the city in a flood situation. The illegality of this act is notorious, waterproofing an area that will have severe consequences, taking into account the rainfall regime to which the Algarve is subject”, say SPEA.
However, the citizens’ movement for Alagoas Brancas promises that “it will not sit back and will continue to fight for the conservation of the area and prevent this environmental attack, demanding that nature protection institutions fulfill the role for which they are destined.”
In view of the situation, the non-governmental organizations Almargem Association, A Rocha Portugal, GEOTA, FAPAS, League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) and ZERO - Sustainable Terrestrial System Association, say they will “not conform, nor will they stand still in the face of this serious and unnecessary environmental aggression”.
Campaigners, who have been fighting for six years to protect this wetland against commercial development, highlight how difficult this is when local politicians do not have the political will or conscience to put environmental good sense above commercial interests. They claim that Lagoa council has actively sought to shape public opinion against this wetland, ignored evidence of the ecological value of the area from experts, ignored warnings of serious flood risk if the land is filled in, ignored a recommendation made in the Portuguese parliament to protect the area, ignored a similar recommendation by the government’s environment agency, the Instituto da Conservacao de Natureza e Florestas (ICNF), and made a U-turn on its promise to initiate an environmental impact study.
Although the adjacent councils of Silves and Loule have decided to protect wetlands in their counties, Lagoa council has stood apart and pursued a policy of environmental destruction.
But, far from the campaign to save this wetland faltering, it appears to be gathering momentum. In a joint press release issued on Tuesday, the Associação Almargem and Sociedade para o Estuda das Aves (SPEA) were joined by A Rocha Portugal, GEOTA, FAPAS, ZERO, and Liga para a Protecao da Natureza (LPN) in calling for a halt to the “grave and unnecessary environmental aggression” at Alagoas Brancas. Campaigners hope that this joint statement will encourage the citizens of Lagoa to break their silence and demand greater environmental responsibility from their elected local officials.
In order to contest this construction that puts at risk not only the natural values but also the safety of the population of Lagoa in the face of floods, the NGOs, in collaboration with the citizens' movement for Alagoas Brancas, called a protest march for next Saturday, at 17:00 , at Largo do Auditorio Municipal Carlos do Carmo, in Lagoa.
“The destruction of the habitat of more than 300 species of native plants and animals has begun, some of which are protected by law or threatened with extinction. In addition, the possibility of creating a single place in the city for the use of the population, for the protection of nature and for the reduction of the impact of floods and flash floods is destroyed. This, to build another commercial area that, if necessary, could be built elsewhere in the city”, warns the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds.
Why is Alagoas Brancas so important? It is the lake (‘lagoa’ in Portuguese) which centuries ago gave the city its name. Like all wetlands, it makes an important contribution towards limiting the impact of climate change. It supports a huge diversity of flora and fauna of which many species are under threat of extinction, and it is the second most important site for birdlife in the county.
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