July 7th, marks the 26th anniversary of the creation of the Natural Park of the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vincentia and environmental organisation Quercus is branded developers and public official complicit for signing off tourist developments within its boundaries.
The Natural Park was created from the reclassification in 1995 of an already protected landscape which extends along the western and south western coastlines for 110 km.
The park was created with the goal of halting the damage caused by humans, especially through property development.
Part of the park around Sagres is classified as a Biogenetic Reserve by the Council of Europe - 'Ponta de Sagres' -and the entire park is part of NATURA 2000.
However, these classifications have not been enough to stop man’s interference in one of Europe’s special regions, according to Quercus whose report issued today points to actions that have managed to degrade the delicate ecosystem, such as the construction of wind farms and the installation of power cable systems.
Also, the intensification of agricultural practices using agro-chemicals and the over use of irrigation has exerted pressure on the environment and is seen as incompatible with the conservation of nature and water resources.
The Quercus report then gets down to the real point, the expansion of tourism real estate which has been given permission illegally, or at any rate, in collusion with successive council boards which are meant to be protecting their landscape.
How for example did the Vila Formosa project near Vila Nova de Milfontes ever get permission against a backdrop of some of the tightest environmental protection laws in Portugal?
In addition to illicit building of tourism projects that few people want, there are widespread concerns about the illegal trashing of protected plant species due to the installation of infrastructure, the uncontrolled proliferation of invasive alien plant species, the continuous destruction of dune vegetation due to all-terrain vehicles and the various natural hazards that are increased by human activities such as fires and erosion.
Quercus is not anti-everything, far from it as the organisation wants to move ahead with and execute the work agreed under the Polis Litoral Southwest programme which has suffered delays, particularly with regard to sorting out the access to and protection of sand dunes and cliffs, the enhancement of facilities for maritime activities and the creation of leisure and tourist routes for different activities.
Quercus also wants to create a support an incentives programme for agricultural and agroforestry compatible with the conservation of water resources and the natural habitats of species.
Is this taking agriculture back twenty years? Current practices use too many chemicals and too much scarce water which in the long term may be counter productive. Quercus wants to work with farmers to ensure the preservation of nature and to control illegal activities.
As for halting tourism development the agency has its work cut out. The approval by the government of the Vila Formosa Tourist and Environmental Development Project was a body blow to Quercus which had imagined the government was keen to follow its own and EC legislation on protecting the environment.
The Vila Formosa project was approved in the Odemira council area, near Vila Nova de Milfontes, slap bang in the middle of the protected park where 55 hectares is to be turned into a hotel, two tourist villages and an entertainment area for sports and events. Imagine the same being built in the middle of the Lake District in the UK and you will get an idea of the impact this greedy development will have.
Quercus said when the plan was approved in 2013 that the project is hardly environmentally friendly and was a result of complicity between the developers and public officials.
If Portugal continues to find ways around its own and the EC's rules and laws so as to enrich developers and their complicit public servants then when people later ask "But why here?" the answer will be, "greed before environment."
