Portugal's €500m yearly nature restoration plan needs proper planning

Portugal plans to invest around €500 million annually until 2030 in nature restoration measures, one of the largest public ecological recovery efforts in the country's history. This opinion piece argues that success will depend not on the amount spent but on the quality of planning, warning against isolated, disconnected projects. It calls for river basins to be the fundamental planning unit, for rigorous mapping and monitoring indicators, and for genuine involvement of local farmers, shepherds and communities. It highlights the Alentejo and Algarve as particularly vulnerable regions where well-designed pilot projects could set an international example.