Good morning. Today's Pulse brings a brand-new plant genus from Madeira, solar taking the top spot in the national grid for the first time, and a village in the Côa valley opening its doors to rewilding.
After some fifteen years of work, researchers from the University of Madeira and the University of Kansas have described Madeirina, a genus found nowhere else on Earth. A rare event in botany, and a reminder of how fragile the island's endemic flora remains.
Rewilding Portugal describes how obsolete structures fragment the river Côa, harming aquatic life and hastening the erosion of the rock art on its banks. Technical studies favour removing the barriers, and public consultation showed strong local support.
The Portuguese Environment Agency says the renaturalisation project for the river Cobral is in its final drafting stage. Work will cover the whole river, with ecological recovery of the bed and banks, removal of invasive species and replanting of riverside vegetation.
Researcher Teresa Catry explains that Portugal's roller population has grown around 26% since 2009, but almost entirely in Castro Verde and thanks to artificial nests. That dependence leaves the species exposed to farming changes and heatwaves.
A photographic exhibition on the Recife do Algarve – Pedra do Valado Marine Natural Park runs through August at the P5 space in Albufeira. Entry is free and there are guided visits, all aimed at making the region's largest rocky reef better known.
GNR's SEPNA officers recovered an injured, weakened goshawk in Codiceirinha, in the Sertã municipality. The bird, with wounds to its chest, was taken to the CERAS wildlife recovery centre in Castelo Branco.
REN figures show that in July solar became Portugal's leading source of electricity for the first time, with renewables covering 53% of consumption. Over the first seven months of the year renewables supplied 68%, even as overall demand kept rising.
An opinion piece argues the energy transition depends not only on producing more renewable electricity but on when we use it, with only around 35% of consumption falling in off-peak hours. Electric car charging, clustered at midday rather than at night, illustrates the flexibility being left on the table.
The Parque Eólico do Sudoeste, with 23 turbines in Santiago do Cacém, is open for public consultation on the Participa portal until 28 August. The 138 MW project, with battery storage, is intended to supply the Sines data centre directly.
Chinese developer Chint Solar is advancing a solar, wind and battery project near Montemor-o-Novo, part of a 6.6 GW pipeline across the region. The article raises questions about the cumulative effects on land use, grid infrastructure and landscape.
Content creator Roberto Jorge visited the Solar Técnica stand at the Expofacic fair, having become a customer and now a partner of the solar company. The headline figure is a monthly bill of €4.57; most of the piece sits behind a paywall.
The IVDP has handed the Government an executive plan to correct structural imbalances in Douro winegrowing and raise growers' incomes. It proposes written grape purchase contracts, an environmental sustainability levy, limits on vineyard expansion and digital traceability.
The Government has amended the bluetongue support scheme to include farmers who could not vaccinate in time because of vaccine supply delays, provided they did so by 30 November 2025. The aid is €48 per registered dead sheep, with an eligibility list to be published by DGAV.
PTachio, a pistachio grower at Herdade de Vale Figueira in Arraiolos, has joined the Portugal Nuts association. The sector body now represents three strategic crops — almond, walnut and pistachio — and wants to build technical and scientific support for this emerging one.
CPADA is calling for urgent recruitment of nature rangers, noting that ICNF has just 286 against the 800 considered necessary. It also wants career reform, better pay and working conditions and more equipment, warning that the shortfall weakens both conservation and fire response.
The Government has extended the validity of pesticide applicator certification from 10 to 15 years, a move ZERO says contradicts the national action plan on sustainable pesticide use. The association warns of less frequent retraining and greater risk for seasonal and migrant workers.
Parliament has approved a resolution urging the Government to press Spain to suspend works at the San Juan mines, near Vinhais and the Montesinho Natural Park. MPs want a cross-border environmental impact study under the Espoo Convention, given the risks to the river Rabaçal.
The IFCN has warned of very high wildfire risk in Madeira's mountainous areas after an orange heat warning from IPMA. Bonfires and burning are banned, camping in forest areas is discouraged and the Pico do Areeiro–Eira do Serrado road stays closed.
The second episode in Sociedade Ponto Verde's 30th anniversary series shows how packaging recycling in Portugal has shifted from quantity to quality. Examples from Sirplaste, Ecoibéria and a Spanish delamination specialist illustrate the push for higher-grade recycled material.
Eco-Oil points to local supply chains, turning waste into raw material, and optimising existing processes rather than replacing infrastructure as the routes to decarbonisation. It also flags Portugal's low circularity rate and the value of industry-academia collaboration.
GAL ADL has opened a €262,500 call for small bioeconomy and circular economy investments in Alcácer do Sal, Grândola, Odemira, Santiago do Cacém and Sines. Support covers 50-55% of eligible investment, favouring local raw materials, renewables and job creation.
Vilar Maior, in Sabugal, is now the Greater Côa Valley's first Rewilding Village, under a protocol between Rewilding Portugal, the municipality, the parish union and a local association. Funded by Turismo de Portugal, the pilot brings interpretive panels, art, signage and a visitor centre.
NOVA IMS and IPQ have built a Quality Barometer combining technical indicators with residents' own perceptions of well-being, now being piloted in the Oeste region with Oeste CIM. The aim is a permanent national monitoring platform to support policy decisions.
Lagoa council reports that its beaches keep an "excellent" bathing water classification, according to the latest Portuguese Environment Agency data. Praia do Carvoeiro is singled out as one of the area's most emblematic spots.
Maria Kabaça, created by Sónia Rodrigues, turns gourds — a traditional Portuguese crop — into one-off handmade pieces. The slow, entirely manual process links sustainability, craft and a little-recognised agricultural product.
Ponte de Lima hosts the Vale do Neiva Walking Festival on 26 and 27 September, part of WalkFest, with routes through Calvelo, Mato, Sandiães, Vilar das Lamas and Gaifar. Entry is free but limited to 50 walkers per route, with registrations from 31 August.
Urbanist Carlos Moreno, author of the "15-Minute City" concept, will speak at the 8th National Urban Cleaning Meeting in Guimarães from 8 to 10 September 2026. The event, themed "[De]Constructing the Future", is part of Guimarães European Green Capital 2026.
Under the AYMURAY project, implemented by Oikos and funded by Instituto Camões, three schools in the municipality of Buesaco are gaining school gardens. They will supply fresh food for school meals and double as spaces for learning about sustainability.
A short read every morning — what's happening across sustainable Portugal.
