New life for a bird extinct in the wild
Lagos Zoo welcomed three chicks of the Socorro dove, a species gone from the wild since 1972. They are part of a European breeding programme and will help form new pairs across the continent.
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Seven days of the Pulse, curated into one weekly read.
Pulse
18 July 2026
A gentle look at sustainable Portugal today: young farmers finding their footing, forests healing after storms, and small creatures reminding us why care matters. Take a breath and read on.
A case for recognising the Iberian rabbit
Scientists argue the Iberian Peninsula is home to two distinct rabbit species, with the Iberian rabbit found in Portugal now at risk. They call for formal taxonomic review and adjusted conservation rules.
Eleven moths new to Portugal
A study in Loule identified eleven night-flying butterfly and moth species never before recorded in Portugal, adding to what we know about the region's biodiversity.
Toads adapting, but not without cost
Common toad tadpoles can shift their diet with water temperature, but warming reduces that flexibility, producing smaller, weaker individuals. The effects could ripple through aquatic food chains.
Nest boxes for the roller and its neighbours
Monitoring of 50 nest boxes in southern Portugal found more than half occupied, though mostly by species other than the intended roller. The chicks found were ringed for study.
Madeira's small farms resist through innovation
With tiny plots that resist mechanisation, Madeira turns to drones, precision farming and climate-resilient varieties, hoping modernisation will attract younger generations to the land.
Keeping young farmers rooted in rural areas
Resende's mayor argued that keeping young farmers in the countryside needs schools, health and access alongside farm support, pointing to over 1,000 applications in his municipality.
Promoting women's leadership in farming
AJAP is preparing a bid for the WOMEN-LEAD-AgriPortugal project, offering funded training, coaching and mentoring to support women's leadership and green, digital transformation in three regions.
Odemira and Mertola as rural innovation hubs
The two Alentejo municipalities signed a memorandum to promote rural territories as spaces of innovation and sustainability, planning pilot areas for a future nature restoration law.
Regenerative practices in the vineyard
ATEVA held a field demonstration on regenerative viticulture in Arraiolos, combining talks with a vineyard visit focused on soil conservation, water management and biodiversity.
Shepherding in the Serra dos Candeeiros
A visit to Terra Cha documented traditional shepherding ahead of the 2026 Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, showing how it sustains landscapes, native breeds and the Mediterranean Diet.
Regenerating landscapes from near Tomar
Ekogaio combines permaculture, agroforestry and water management to restore ecosystems, with a flagship project in Crato where over 10,000 trees were planted on municipal land.
First national biomethane certification
REN issued Portugal's first Guarantees of Origin for biomethane used in transport, with G3 as the pioneer, marking a step forward in decarbonising the sector.
Renova's biomass plant cuts gas use
Renova opened a biomass plant in Torres Novas that halves natural gas use in tissue-paper production, cutting its scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than half against 2020.
Madeira funds business decarbonisation
The Madeira 2030 programme opened a 10-million-euro call to support energy efficiency and decarbonisation for regional companies, open to firms of all sizes until September.
Wind turbines land in Funchal
After a weather delay, components for three turbines of the Paul da Serra wind farm were safely unloaded at Funchal's Pontinha pier in a specialised logistics operation.
Municipalities to keep autonomy on renewable zones
The government assured that municipalities will have full autonomy to define renewable acceleration zones through their plans, following a consultation that drew over 9,000 responses.
Three towns reject the acceleration zones plan
Porto de Mos, Penamacor and Figueiro dos Vinhos gave unfavourable opinions on the renewable acceleration zones programme, citing technical and legal flaws while still backing the energy transition.
Porto de Mos details its objections
Porto de Mos issued an unfavourable opinion on the acceleration zones programme over technical and legal shortcomings, defending the use of already-built areas instead.
Environmental groups challenge the programme
Rewilding Portugal and Quercus criticised the renewable acceleration zones programme, flagging the absence of cumulative impact assessment and the exclusion of protected ecological reserves.
Algarve's water-loss milestone
Reports confirm Algarve municipalities have exceeded PRR targets for managing water losses, a milestone in the region's efforts to make water systems more efficient.
129 million for the Mira's farmland water
The Agua Que Une strategy will invest 129 million euros by 2030 to modernise irrigation from the Mira, including a link to Alqueva, presented at a Odemira colloquium.
Castelo Branco cuts water losses
Castelo Branco's water services invested some 8.55 million euros over five years to modernise networks, bringing non-billed water losses down to 10.7 percent in 2025.
Pombal invests in sanitation
Pombal will launch a 1.7-million-euro tender to build domestic sewage networks in six localities, including 236 connections and 13 km of collectors treated at the Lourical plant.
Madeira looks at water and climate risk
A Funchal workshop examined how climate change threatens urban water infrastructure, presenting projections of less rainfall, rising seas and more extreme events for Madeira by 2100.
Young voices on the future of water
The Agora da Agua event gathered 43 young professionals from the Aguas de Portugal group in Carcavelos to debate careers, generational cooperation and priorities for the sector.
Recognition in Essen for a lighter bottle
Vidrala's ultra-light 260G bottle collected two Red Dot awards in Germany, developed with Politecnico de Leiria as part of the Embalagem do Futuro initiative.
A refreshed guide to recyclable packaging
Sociedade Ponto Verde updated its guide on packaging that is hard to sort and recycle, for the first time listing examples with no bonus, such as black or opaque glass.
Ecodesign help for producers
The new edition of the critical packaging guide flags problematic packaging and, for the first time, items excluded from financial bonuses, helping Portugal meet 2026 recycling targets.
The countdown for six-pack plastic wrap
From 2030, EU rules will ban certain single-use plastic groupings like shrink wrap on six-bottle packs, pushing lighter, recyclable packaging and 90 percent collection targets.
A thousand bikes take over Lisbon
Around 1,000 cyclists rode through Lisbon in a festive Critical Mass ride, ending at City Hall with a call for safer streets and better cycling infrastructure.
Caminha brightens its streets
Caminha installed 68 new light fixtures and launched further works to renew public lighting with more efficient equipment, as part of an ongoing modernisation plan.
Leiria's missed bike-sharing chance
An opinion piece laments Leiria's stalled shared-bike scheme, arguing the real goal was to change mobility habits and that schools and community should help relaunch it.
Community cafes with a social heart
The UNITATE Foundation will open community cafes in Borba and Vila Vicosa in October, blending coffee and light meals with cultural and social activities that fund its social work.
A century of the Milagres farming colony
The Milagres Agricultural Colony in Leiria marks its centenary, remembered as Portugal's first internal colonisation experiment aimed at keeping rural people on the land.
Teaching children about energy and nature
Akuo ran educational activities in Estremoz combining biodiversity observation at a solar plant with hands-on lessons on solar and wind energy for around 41 children.
Learning about the Ria Formosa on Armona
Armona beach will host a morning of games and environmental awareness on the Ria Formosa, including a look at seagrass meadows and their role for biodiversity.
Recycling at Faro's motorcycle rally
ALGAR is boosting selective waste collection during Faro's international motorcycle rally, working with local eateries and placing recycling bins across the venue.
A warning on intensive farming
Biologist Miguel Porto warns that intensive agriculture is harming biodiversity and current trends risk a point of no return, urging a broader view of conservation.
WWF criticises the nature restoration plan
WWF Portugal criticised the draft National Nature Restoration Plan for lacking defined funding and clear responsibilities, and for weak treatment of marine and coastal ecosystems.
Festival clean-ups fall short
A MARE study of five years of a beach festival in Figueira da Foz found post-event clean-ups insufficient to stop waste, mostly plastics, accumulating in busy areas.
Illegal works defy an embargo
In Monte Redondo, illegal tourism works altering waterways in a protected ecological and agricultural zone continued despite an embargo, with authorities warning of irreversible damage.
Arrabida beaches stay public
The government confirmed that five Arrabida beaches remain part of the public maritime domain despite legal disputes, as a protest walk against restricted access is planned.
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A short read every morning — what's happening across sustainable Portugal.
Recent
- Good morning. Today the wild side of Portugal takes the lead — a heavy bird, a night-flying moth and a lithium mine that keeps dividing a valley — before we settle into markets, mid-August fairs and one wooden lunchbox that goes straight into the oven.
- Bom dia. Today's Pulse leans towards land and water: fire prevention on the commons, a contested farm in the Alentejo, solar plans weighed against habitats, and a good handful of gentler things to do before the summer slips away.
- Good morning. Today the Gerês keeps the country talking, solar quietly takes the lead in our electricity mix, and there is honey, wheat and a sea hare along the way.
- Good morning. Today's Pulse looks at wolves and monk seals, cork festivals and shared bicycles, plus a solar eclipse that will briefly dim the country's panels.
- Good morning. Today's Pulse looks at nature restoration promises waiting to be kept, two islands testing what their technology and their vines can do, and new homes opening their doors from the Azores to Celorico de Basto.
- Good morning. Today's Pulse leans towards water and waste: a record-dry July, urgent repairs beneath Leiria, and a region rethinking where its rubbish goes.
- Good morning. Today's Pulse is shaped by water — a dry July, planned cuts and new investment — alongside grape growers making their voices heard, and small community projects quietly showing what circular living can look like.
- Good morning. Today's Pulse takes in wildfire prevention and water use, a giant frog made of rubbish in Ponte de Lima, salt marshes turned into laboratories, and quiet steps towards cleaner transport across the country.
- Good morning. Today's Pulse leans towards water, wildfire and wild things: protection plans for six Azorean islands, rabbits returning to the Côa, and a steady drumbeat of energy and water investment across the country.
- Bom dia. Today's Pulse runs from estuary protection and reservoir levels to a deposit-return deadline that lands next week, with a few small delights along the way.