Associação Dunas Livres

Associação Dunas Livres investigates development cases on the Costa Azul, on the northern Alentejo coast, and campaigns against the disproportionate expansion of tourist resorts and golf courses there. A group of citizens started it in 2020, determined to confront that expansion in an area of exceptionally high ecological and social value. Between Tróia and Melides, 40 km of beaches are bordered by dunes, lagoons and salt marshes, which shelter unique but declining biodiversity. It's the largest truly wild stretch of coast left in Portugal. Alongside raising public awareness, the association carries out in-depth investigations into ongoing development cases. These have uncovered legal inconsistencies and instances of corruption tied to mega-developments such as Dunes at Praia do Pego, Terras da Comporta, Six Senses Comporta and Costa Terra in Melides. Those projects have already destroyed hundreds of hectares of protected dune habitat. The movement formalised itself as Associação Dunas Livres in 2022. That year it joined 10 other environmental NGOs to form the Plataforma Dunas Livres, giving them a louder collective voice against the Urbanisation Plan for the Tróia Peninsula and against further water extraction as drought conditions worsen. The association campaigns against the privatisation of coastal land for elite tourism. Its argument is that such development undoes in a few years what nature took thousands of years to create. It runs a crowdfunding campaign to pay for legal and advocacy work, publishes manifestos and produces educational videos and infographics. It also draws the public in through social media and community events.