Beja and Évora among seven towns to get green-space funding

Beja and Évora are among seven Portuguese municipalities, alongside Celorico da Beira, Guimarães, Leiria, São João da Madeira and Vila Real, chosen for the first round of funding under the Pro nat.urbe programme, worth almost eight million euros, aimed at restoring urban nature and boosting climate resilience. Environmental group ZERO, while supportive of the programme's creation, warns the money could amount to mere 'green cosmetics' unless stricter rules are applied. It wants native species made mandatory rather than preferred, single-species lawns excluded, caps on cost per square metre, and a ban on herbicides in funded areas, plus safeguards against green-space statistics being inflated without real change on the ground.