Good morning. Today's Pulse leans towards the living world — seabirds, lichens, a rare roller in the Alentejo — alongside quieter local work on energy, water and waste across the country.
SPEA's Nuno Oliveira explains how the new Sentinelas do Oceano survey updates the seabird atlas, showing bycatch, poor breeding success and declines in species such as the shag and Cory's shearwater. He points to ongoing conservation work in the Berlengas and calls for wider involvement from authorities and citizens.
The roller has lost 67% of its Portuguese range in two decades, yet the breeding population at Castro Verde has doubled thanks to artificial nests, holding 96% of the national pairs in 2024. Researchers warn the recovery is fragile while it depends on maintaining those structures.
A study coordinated by Palmira Carvalho compiles records from 1788 to 2021 and identifies 2,012 lichen species in mainland Portugal. Knowledge is unevenly spread, concentrated in Estremadura, Minho and the Algarve, and the authors call for systematic surveys in protected areas.
Rewilding Portugal and The Lifescape Project have published a legal report comparing five European models for binding, long-term conservation commitments on private land. They recommend a stand-alone law rather than stretching existing Civil Code categories.
Almada has extended its water supply alert to 31 August, even with reserves averaging 78%, to guard against August heat and tourist demand. Some restrictions on pools and changing rooms remain, though night-time cuts have been eased.
The Alentejo 2030 programme has opened a call to fund the environmental recovery of abandoned quarries in critical condition, with an eye to nature conservation and biodiversity. Public bodies may apply in phases between August 2026 and May 2027.
Car traffic inside the Fortaleza de Valença will be banned daily between noon and 16:00 to protect the National Monument and improve comfort for residents and visitors. Emergency vehicles, residents and people with reduced mobility are exempt.
Creches.app cross-checks its own data with the Carta Social and INE, showing that Sintra, Moita, Amadora, Seixal, Palmela and Odivelas all sit below 40% nursery coverage, well short of the European 45% target for 2030. Missing contact details in many establishments make the search harder still.
Veredas da Estrela, with CERVAS and the Estrela Geopark, is building a participatory biodiversity inventory for Figueiró and Freixo da Serra. Residents and visitors record what they see on iNaturalist during summer field outings.
CoastSnap Madeira has gathered more than 500 photographs in three months from 11 stations across four municipalities. The citizen science project, run by MARE-Madeira with ARDITI and the University of Madeira, helps monitor coastal erosion and climate effects.
VERDAI, the new concessionaire of Portugal's only urban heating and cooling network, will invest 18 million euros by 2027 to electrify, digitalise and improve the efficiency of a system serving some 2,000 clients through 85 km of underground piping.
The government has approved a request to create a temporary 33% contribution on 2026 oil company profits exceeding the 2024-2025 average by more than 20%. Revenue is meant to support households and firms hit by fuel prices and to reduce fossil fuel dependence.
José de Mello has abandoned its 492 million euro Lifthium refinery in Estarreja for lack of long-term contracts, following Galp's earlier exit from Aurora, raising fears Portugal will extract lithium without capturing the higher-value processing. Separately, the European Ombudsman found maladministration in the Commission's withholding of environmental assessments on strategic mining projects.
A new environmental impact study proposes tripling the Sorgila kaolin concession at Cabeço da Vegia, from 33.47 to 102.01 hectares. Residents of Monte Redondo and neighbouring parishes have voiced concern.
APIGCEE says the 2026 allocation for compensating industry's indirect CO2 costs has fallen to 30 million euros despite a promise of 100 million, and wants the increase formalised before applications close on 10 August.
In a related account, the association details a 40% reduction in the 2026 allocation compared with 2025, even as eligible sectors widen, and contrasts Portugal's effort with the far larger support given in Spain, France and Germany.
A parliamentary resolution recommends a national programme to identify, monitor and recover environmental liabilities in coastal areas, including a georeferenced inventory, a risk assessment method, the polluter-pays principle and annual reporting.
Sociedade Ponto Verde has launched ELO, an AI assistant that helps people work out which bin each package belongs in, with Portugal's 2025 recovery rate at 60.5% against a 65% target. The SPV stresses it complements, rather than replaces, wider kerbside collection and awareness work.
Over 9 million euros, co-funded by Alentejo 2030 and the ERDF, are going into new composting and refining infrastructure in the Alentejo. The aim is more treatment capacity, better compost quality and less landfill, with completion due by the end of the year.
LIPOR processed some 25,000 tonnes of organic waste in the first half of 2026, producing around 5,000 tonnes of the Nutrimais soil improver. It argues this kind of recovery can cut Portugal's reliance on imported fertilisers at a time of rising prices.
João Lavos of Leroy Merlin argues sustainability belongs inside business strategy rather than beside it, citing 22% lower scope 1 and 2 emissions and 34% lower transport emissions in Portugal between 2021 and 2025. New services to help customers improve home energy efficiency are on the way.
The fourth edition takes place on 19 and 20 September, free to enter, across 15,000 square metres. Expect workshops, talks, markets, a permaculture microfarm and mobility partnerships with GIRA and Lime.
The 23rd European Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production comes to NOVA's Campolide campus from 23 to 25 June 2027, organised by LNEG and NOVA FCT. Registration and abstract submission are already open.
SolarTecnica is back at the fair with a stand built like a home, showing its anti-blackout kit combining panels, hybrid inverter and battery. Founded in Figueira da Foz in 2021, the company has since expanded nationally.
Gesmo is showing electric and hybrid models at the Cantanhede fair, including Chinese brands such as Xpeng, Dongfeng, Voya and Farizon, with special offers on maintenance and charging accessories.
A short read every morning — what's happening across sustainable Portugal.
