Portugal formalises conservation rules for Sado Estuary

The Portuguese government has completed the classification of the Special Conservation Zone (ZEC) of the Sado Estuary, setting specific conservation and management goals for this Natura 2000 site, including protection measures for species such as bottlenose dolphins and otters and habitats like sandbanks, wetlands and cork oak forests. The decree also imposes restrictions on activities that could damage these habitats and requires opinions from the ICNF in several cases. The measure is part of a long-running dispute with the European Court of Justice over Portugal's failure to designate 61 ZECs since 1992, for which the country was fined in March 2026 pending full compliance.