Vale Carapito becomes a protected private area
The 48-hectare Vale Carapito in Sabugal, Rewilding Portugal's first rewilding project, is now the country's fifth recognised Private Protected Area, already home to hundreds of species.
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Pulse
6 July 2026
Happy Monday! Today's Pulse ranges from wild valleys and electric trains to water worries and the quiet art of telling one olive oil from another.
Growing pressure on Azores limpets
Researchers warn that limpet harvesting in the Azores has reached levels above those seen during the 1980s collapse, made more serious by today's smaller populations.
Water shortages hit thousands in Almada
A burst water main left thousands in Almada without running water, deepening weeks of disruption and protests, as the regulator asks for explanations.
High fire risk in Madeira
With the heat warning extended, Madeira's IFCN reinforced bans on fires and sparks, advised against forest camping and kept a mountain road closed.
Concerns over new REN powers for CCDR
WWF Portugal warns that giving CCDR both the assessment and the exception powers over the National Ecological Reserve risks weakening protection and separation of powers.
Castelo Branco pushes back on wind and solar plan
The municipality opposes a €1.2 billion Eurowind project near Serra da Gardunha, favouring rooftop solar over open-country development, in a debate echoing national tensions over rural land.
Smart waste platform for the Oeste
The Oeste intermunicipal community launched a tender for a smart urban waste platform to optimise monitoring, collection routes and operations, funded by European funds.
Formigais aims to be a wellbeing village
ADIRN presented a plan to make the village of Formigais more sustainable, inclusive and ready for the future as a Wellbeing Village.
Does my effort count for the climate?
A pilot at Escola Profissional Atlântico had around 170 students track and cut their carbon footprint, showing that despite Portugal's low per-capita figure, the average still exceeds Paris goals.
Hotel mini-toiletries set to disappear
From 2030, EU rules will ban small single-use shampoo and shower gel bottles in hotels, favouring refillable dispensers as part of a wider crackdown on disposable packaging.
Portugal rides the functional mushroom wave
Producers like Mushroom Compadres in the Algarve are turning Lion's Mane, Reishi and other mushrooms into wellness products, betting on local cultivation and traceability.
Coficab wins sustainability innovation prize
Guarda-based cable maker Coficab won the first COTEC-Caixa Innovation for Sustainability Prize for pivoting to electrification, renewables infrastructure and data centres.
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