News

What was reported

• Ecosystems

  Report urges Portugal to create dedicated land conservation law

  A new report says Portugal has no dedicated legal tool to lock in conservation deals on private land for good.

  31 July 2026Rewilding Portugal

• Ecosystems

  Two Serra da Estrela villages start community biodiversity inventory

  Residents of two Gouveia villages will spend nights and mornings this summer counting bats, owls and stream bugs.

  31 July 2026CentroVeredas da Estrela

• Ecosystems

  Portugal's first lichen checklist counts over 2,000 species

  Two centuries of records reveal Portugal rivals much larger European countries in lichen diversity, but the picture is far from complete.

  31 July 2026Palombar

• Ecosystems

  SPEA report finds Portugal's seabirds losing ground at sea and land

  SPEA's new report tracks 76 seabird species and finds mass die-offs already hitting Portugal's waters.

  31 July 2026SPEA

• Ecosystems

  Rewilding Portugal mixes wild horses and cattle in Ermo das Águias

  In a corner of Portugal, wild horses and cattle now share the same ground for the first time in centuries.

  30 July 2026NorteRewilding Portugal

• Ecosystems

  Green groups demand legal protection for native oak forests

  Seven environmental groups say Portugal's native oak forests, covering just 2.5% of its woodland, still have no dedicated legal shield.

  29 July 2026GEOTA

• Ecosystems

  Conservation groups urge joint Portugal-Spain strategy for Iberian wolf

  A wolf can be legally protected in Portugal and killed hours later just across the Spanish border.

  29 July 2026NorteRewilding Portugal

• Ecosystems

  Loulé launches guide to attract investment in nature conservation

  A new guide points investors to Rocha da Pena, Fonte Benémola and other sites across a municipality where most of the land is protected.

  29 July 2026AlgarveNBI

• Ecosystems

  Anadia council rejects mining prospection over water supply risks

  A 150-hectare mining plan near Anadia threatened a water main feeding the city's hospital and homes.

  28 July 2026Centro

• Ecosystems

  Environmental group urges Portugal to revise nature restoration plan

  Zero says 58% of the plan's 406 measures have no defined location and none has an assigned cost.

  27 July 2026ZERO

• Ecosystems

  Rewilding Portugal team recounts first beaver sighting in centuries

  Two field researchers recall the exact moment gnawed branches on the Douro riverbank confirmed something extraordinary.

  27 July 2026NorteRewilding Portugal

• Ecosystems

  Twelve Portuguese municipalities receive €18.5m after storm damage

  Twelve municipalities have already banked millions in storm-recovery funds, with three more still finalising contracts.

  27 July 2026CentroZERO

• Ecosystems

  ICNF repairs forest road network at Mata Nacional da Machada

  Storm damage earlier this year left forest tracks near Barreiro in need of urgent repair.

  27 July 2026LisbonZERO

• Ecosystems

  ZERO calls for changes to nature restoration plan before EU deadline

  Over half the plan's 407 measures have no defined location, cost or responsible body, warns ZERO.

  27 July 2026ZERO

• Ecosystems

  Scientists say deep-sea mining risks cannot yet be assessed

  A scientist aboard a research vessel says nearly every dive into unexplored ocean floor turns up something never seen before.

  26 July 2026Diva Amon

• Ecosystems

  Couple builds animal sanctuary on land scarred by 2022 wildfire

  A burnt hillside near Colmeias now shelters rescued cows, horses, a paraplegic sheep and dozens more animals.

  25 July 2026Centro

• Ecosystems

  Rescued eagle-owl chick dies, timeline of transfer disputed

  A photographer says a 51-hour delay doomed the bird's chances, but GNR and ICNF insist protocol was followed.

  25 July 2026AlentejoICNF

• Ecosystems

  Sines has 76.3% of its territory under ecological reserve status

  The Alentejo municipality hosting some of Portugal's biggest industrial projects is also its most ecologically restricted.

  24 July 2026Alentejo

• Ecosystems

  ICNF repairs storm-damaged forest tracks in Barreiro to prevent fires

  Deep gullies left forest tracks in a Barreiro woodland impassable after this year's storms.

  24 July 2026LisbonICNF

• Ecosystems

  Setúbal marks 50th anniversary of Arrábida Natural Park

  Three mayors, a secretary of state and a new honour book feature in a day marking half a century of protected coastline.

  24 July 2026LisbonSPEA

• Ecosystems

  Portugal's common bird census finds long-term decline, no funding secured

  SPEA's bird expert explains why sparrows, cuckoos and swallows are quietly disappearing across Portugal's fields.

  24 July 2026SPEA

• Ecosystems

  Portugal gets its first field guide to freshwater terrapins

  Nine of Portugal's eleven turtle species turn out not to belong there at all.

  23 July 2026Palombar

• Ecosystems

  Seia to mark 50th anniversary of Serra da Estrela Natural Park

  Seia hosts a commemorative gathering at the CISE centre on 30 July to mark the milestone.

  22 July 2026Centro

• Ecosystems

  Floresta Comum opens applications for 75,000 native plants

  Applications are open until September 2026 for a bank of native species covering oaks, cork oaks and ash trees.

  22 July 2026Quercus

• Ecosystems

  Farmland birds in Portugal decline for two decades, survey finds

  Skylarks, swallows and cuckoos are among the species flagged in a two-decade bird census across Portugal.

  21 July 2026SPEA

• Ecosystems

  Three PhD ecology theses win Portuguese research award

  Kelp forests, freshwater species and shark migrations earned three researchers a share of a Portuguese science prize.

  21 July 2026CCMAR

• Ecosystems

  Rewilding Portugal makes the case for bringing back the brown bear

  A brown bear crossed into Bragança in 2019 and ate 50 kilos of a beekeeper's honey before vanishing again.

  20 July 2026NorteRewilding Portugal

• Ecosystems

  Zoomarine centre issues guidance on stranded marine animals

  A Zoomarine centre lists six steps to follow and the exact phone numbers to call before help arrives.

  19 July 2026AlgarveICNF

• Ecosystems

  Regenerative design duo builds education hub near Tomar

  A couple who never made it to Africa ended up planting over 10,000 trees in Alentejo instead.

  17 July 2026AlentejoEkogaio

• Ecosystems

  Nest boxes for endangered roller checked in southern Portugal

  Only four of 26 occupied nest boxes ended up housing the bird they were built for.

  17 July 2026AlentejoQuercus