Associação Dunas Livres
Associação Dunas Livres is a Portuguese citizen movement fighting to preserve the wild dunes, lagoons and wetlands of the Costa Azul (Tróia …
Wetland Protection
Where land meets water, life multiplies: the Ria Formosa lagoon, the dunes defended by Associação Dunas Livres, and heritage guardians like ALMARGEM in the Algarve. Protecting Portugal's richest, most fragile habitats.
Projects in this focus
Wetland protection in Portugal
The Portuguese wetlands are squeezed from two sides: upstream by irrigation and dams that hold back the water, and at the shore by tourism that wants to build on the last open ground. The Ria Formosa is the clearest case of both.
RIAS runs a wildlife recovery centre inside the Ria Formosa park at Olhão. ALMARGEM defends the Algarve landscape, GEOTA works on land-use policy nationally, FAPAS manages protected areas in the north, and Associação Dunas Livres is the citizens' movement fighting for the dunes and lagoons around Grândola.
Much of this is legal and planning work rather than fieldwork, which means public consultations matter, those get announced, and turning up counts. See also marine conservation, habitat restoration and water conservation. Dated activities from these projects are listed in our events calendar.