Environmental groups demand rejection of revised Alcácer do Sal tangerine project

The Dunas Livres coalition of environmental NGOs, including Quercus, Zero and Geota, has called for rejection of a revised agroforestry project for tangerine cultivation in Alcácer do Sal, citing declining groundwater levels since 2017 and damage to protected habitats. The project, reduced by 18% to 295 hectares within a 2,400-hectare estate overlapping protected conservation zones, is under public consultation as part of its environmental impact assessment until Friday. Quercus separately criticised authorities for failing to curb intensive irrigated farming on the Alentejo coast. Despite cuts to water use and boreholes, the environmental impact study still acknowledges significant, if localised, effects on groundwater.