The brown bear at the door
Extinct in Portugal since 1843, the brown bear could one day return by natural expansion from Spain, as a 2019 sighting in Montesinho suggested. Conservationists argue coexistence is viable and ecologically valuable.
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Seven days of the Pulse, curated into one weekly read.
21 July 2026
A calm look at sustainable Portugal today: cleaner rails in the Algarve, water saved in fields and towns, forests reaching toward healing, and a bear that once knocked at the door.
Bucaco, a therapeutic forest
The Mata Nacional do Bucaco has become the first Therapeutic Forest of the Iberian Peninsula, joining a small group of certified sanctuaries offering well-being and rehabilitation programmes.
Coimbra reclaims its riverbank
The 'Margens com Futuro' project will ecologically restore and revalue about 24 hectares of the Mondego riverfront between Rebolim and Ponte da Portela.
Lisbon nudges drivers with pricier parking
Lisbon plans its first parking tariff rise in about 15 years, a small hourly increase justified by inflation and EMEL's mobility investments.
Leiria's missed bicycle chance
An opinion piece laments the near-halt of Leiria's shared bike scheme, arguing the real goal was changing mobility habits, and urges the city to try again.
Cheaper charging for fleets
EDP and Bolt are teaming up to lower charging costs for fleet drivers, as new hubs open near Albufeira and MOBI.E logs record charging sessions.
Algarve beats water-loss targets
Algarve municipalities exceeded PRR targets, investing over 40 million euros to renew more than 160 km of pipes and save over 2.15 cubic hectometres of water.
Leaks found and sealed in Almada
Reinforced inspections by Almada's SMAS uncovered significant leaks and illegal connections, some used for irrigation, all now closed off.
Blueberries with 32 percent less water
Producer Maio Verde swapped guesswork for sensors and a weather station, cutting water use by 32 percent while keeping yield and quality.
New irrigation network at Campo Maior
The Xevora irrigation network, an 18.9 million euro investment covering 1,560 hectares, aims to boost farming and fight depopulation in the region.
Sintra renews 1,500 recycling points
Sintra's SMAS completed the replacement of 1,500 recycling containers, a 630,000 euro investment to standardise higher-capacity selective collection.
A kiosk that takes your bottles back
Barcelos installed a 'Quiosque volta' near the city stadium, letting people return single-use drink packaging under the deposit-refund system.
APA's waste roadshow reaches Portimao
The 'Vamos Lixar o Lixo' campaign closes its summer tour in Portimao with quizzes, workshops and a 'wall of excuses' to encourage better sorting.
The world's lightest wine bottle
The 260-gram bottle, developed with the University of Leiria, won two Red Dot Awards, being 30 percent lighter and made with up to 80 percent recycled glass.
Circular fashion in the Algarve
A New European Bauhaus talk in Faro brought together voices on upcycling and conscious consumption, alongside a circular fashion exhibition.
A platform for circular economy research
Sociedade Ponto Verde launched a digital platform to simplify funding applications for packaging and circular economy innovation projects.
Supporting packaging research
The same SPV platform lets applicants track submissions and collaborate, as Portugal works toward collecting 65 percent of packaging by 2026.
Robust rules for renewable zones
Environmental groups back renewable acceleration zones but want stronger nature, landscape and community safeguards, criticising the arbitrary 1 percent area cap.
Municipalities question renewable zones
The Coimbra region, Sabugal and ten NGOs gave unfavourable opinions on the draft renewable acceleration programme, citing weak municipal involvement and land risks.
An electricity link to Morocco
Portugal seeks EU and private funding for a submarine electricity interconnection with Morocco, hoping for priority status in Brussels.
Rules for hydrogen refuelling
A draft regulation is in public consultation setting technical conditions for building and operating hydrogen refuelling stations for vehicles, vessels and more.
Energy advice, close to citizens
The European Commission highlighted ADENE's Espaco Energia network, with 126 counters nationwide, as a good practice for bringing energy efficiency to people.
Greener small-fruit farming
At a colloquium in Odemira, Lusomorango presented an environmental plan to measure and cut the carbon, water and ecological footprint of small-fruit growers by 2028.
Guarding fruit against heat stress
Sunscald comes from radiation, low humidity and weak wind rather than air temperature, and can spoil 10 to 40 percent of a harvest without preventive care.
What regenerative farming really means
An author argues that much 'regenerative' farming just relabels old organic practices, saying the true test is soil organic carbon and fewer external inputs.
UTAD's agriculture week
UTAD's fourth Agriculture Week connected students, researchers and professionals around animal production, mechanisation, agroforestry and oenology.
Learning without rushing
Home-schooling numbers in Portugal grew for the first time since 2021, with families in learning communities seeking nature-based, freer methods.
Coimbra clears cars near the Pope's square
Coimbra unanimously approved reshaping Praca Joao Paulo II into a pedestrian space for gathering and contemplation, reducing car circulation.
Mertola and Odemira team up
The two municipalities signed a partnership for sustainable rural development, spanning climate, water, energy transition, biodiversity and social cohesion.
Seeking social agri-food solutions
Odiana opened a call under the AGROSOCIAL project to identify innovative social agri-food solutions across the Alentejo, Algarve and Andalusia.
Reaping by moon, threshing by sun
In Funchal, CDISA revives traditional cereal harvesting to raise awareness of farmland abandonment and climate change, while conserving seeds organically.
A pumpkin over a metre long
In Ribeira Brava, Madeira, a gardener grew a pumpkin about 1.23 metres long, planted in May and still ripening before harvest.
Northern climate action plan tender
CCDR Norte extended to 31 August the tender to draft the North's Regional Climate Action Plan, including its 2050 carbon-neutrality roadmap.
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A short read every morning — what's happening across sustainable Portugal.
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