Good morning! Today's Pulse spans wind turbines and walnut groves, sharks in the Maldives and fishermen in Caparica, with a steady hum of energy, conservation and summer waste on the horizon.
University of Lisboa researchers published the first reference genome of the priolo, an endemic Azorean bird with only around 1,000 individuals left. The work should help track its fragile genetic diversity and guide conservation.
Scientists from the University of Lisbon analysed over 12,700 dives and identified four key shark and ray hotspots, two of them outside existing protected areas. With most recorded species threatened, the findings question current marine protection.
The PSD has proposed a permanent observatory for Portugal's largest coastal lagoon, jointly run by Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos. The aim is integrated, science-based governance instead of scattered, reactive fixes.
Wind covered 25.4% of mainland electricity in 2024, but a new INEGI/APREN report warns the sector is stagnating just as 2030 targets demand a faster pace. Closer public-private cooperation and clearer rules are seen as essential.
China's Chint Solar has begun licensing three hybrid solar-wind projects of over 1.3 GW in Vidigueira and Portel, with battery storage. The plants would feature 2.1 million panels and supply some 460,000 homes a year.
The government plans a capacity mechanism to ensure power availability at peak demand, open to generation, storage and demand response. Brussels approval will be sought before it takes effect.
Nuno Matias will lead the installation of the new Agência de Geologia e Energia, merging four bodies and dissolving ADENE. The reform aims to simplify and digitalise licensing and oversight by mid-2027.
Artisanal fishermen at Costa da Caparica say concessions, surf schools, events and erosion are squeezing out their working space. Some blame the lost sand on the old EXPO works as much as climate change.
Águas do Douro e Paiva is spending around 600,000 euros to rehabilitate the Lagoa reservoir in Vila Nova de Gaia, which serves about 1.8 million people. After 23 years, works will fix wear, water losses and reliability.
The Madeira Camping Club invites the public to a roughly 12 km walk on 20 June through Rabaçal and the Pico da Urze dam, with transport from Funchal included. Sign-ups close at noon on 19 June.
A planned bridge over the River Sever will link Montalvão to Cedillo, cutting the journey by some 85 km. Costing over 24 million euros, it is hoped to boost tourism and trade in a low-density frontier area.
The APA warns that urban waste surges in summer, with over 480,000 tonnes in August alone. Its 'Vamos Lixar o Lixo' truck will tour six districts in July and August to encourage proper separation.
The 'Vamos Lixar o Lixo' campaign stops in Portimão from 24 to 26 July with workshops, games and sustainability simulators. It targets the summer months, when Portugal produces over 1.8 million tonnes of urban waste.
For fourteen years, ANPROMIS has issued free weekly irrigation bulletins to help maize growers use water more sustainably. The latest covers 15 to 21 June and is open to any grower who registers online.
A Standvirtual study finds 83% of Portuguese expect to keep their own car, but fewer than half would buy electric. Cost, range anxiety and patchy charging remain the main hurdles.
The NextLap Innovation Summit in Lisbon showcases circular solutions made from end-of-life tyres, with pilots spanning chemicals, construction, textiles and furniture. The programme drew 66 applications.
The Planalto Beirão municipalities have begun an environmental study for a waste-to-energy facility serving 19 municipalities and over 330,000 people. The aim is to treat residual waste not sent to recycling.
The University of Algarve will remove beef from its canteens next academic year, expanding plant-based and marine options like sardines and seaweed. The move cites beef's heavy carbon footprint.
InovCluster took producers of Beira Baixa, Serra da Estrela and Rabaçal cheeses to Paris and Normandy to study how Europe promotes PDO cheeses. The mission focused on marketing and gastronomic tourism.
Madeira's updated CAP plan brings 141 million euros of support for traditional viticulture, beekeeping, integrated production and Porto Santo's dry-stone walls. It also eases access for young farmers.
A new susceptibility map shows one in three mainland parishes at high fire risk, rising to two in three in the Algarve interior after a wet winter and early hot spring. Land-clearing deadlines extend to 30 June.
Prosecutors are investigating the destruction of two prehistoric dolmens and a Roman villa near Évora to plant walnuts. The case raises wider fears about heritage as monocultures expand in the Alentejo.
A Banco de Portugal study finds social housing moderates rents and aids cohesion, yet it is only about 2% of the stock, far below European peers. A deficit of 300,000 homes has built up over a decade.
The Alentejo 2030 programme opened a funding call to strengthen the region's climate resilience, for municipalities and public bodies. Applications run in ten phases from July 2026 to May 2027.
On 19 June, SDSN Portugal and partners host an international conference in Porto on local delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, with UN, OECD and municipal experts. It aims to produce governance recommendations.
This piece reflects on ocean literacy in Portugal, noting strong policy but weaker practice, and a gap for higher education beyond maritime fields. The Universidade Itinerante do Mar is highlighted as a cooperative answer.
In the public consultation on ENEA 2030, Quercus called for 5% of the Environmental Fund to go to environmental education, up from under 1%. It also criticised cuts to teachers placed at NGOs.
A short read every morning — what's happening across sustainable Portugal.
