Pulse

29 August 2026

Good morning. Today's Pulse runs from jellyfish in the Sado and a leatherback turtle's long swim home, through water, land and housing decisions being taken across the country, to a night walk in the Algarve dedicated entirely to moths.

Wild lives

Rehabilitated leatherback turtle case published as scientific study

A study published in June in Chelonian Conservation and Biology details the 2019 rehabilitation of Quinas, an adult leatherback turtle weighing around 300 kilograms, found entangled in fishing gear off the Algarve coast. Treated for 48 days at Zoomarine's Porto d'Abrigo in Albufeira, the turtle was released with a satellite tracker and travelled 1,283 kilometres towards the Canary Islands in 20 days, confirming normal migratory behaviour. The knowledge gained is now being applied to rehabilitate Molly, a loggerhead turtle from Ireland currently at the same centre. Leatherbacks are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Algarve Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Wilder ↗

Olhão beach event releases rescued gull back into wild

The Municipality of Olhão, together with the RIAS wildlife recovery centre, held an environmental awareness activity in August at Fuseta-Ria beach as part of the Blue Flag programme. Participants, many of them children, learned about RIAS's work rescuing and protecting wild animals throughout the year. The highlight was the release of a gull previously rescued by the centre, which returned to its natural habitat in front of the group. The event aimed to bring children closer to nature and encourage environmentally responsible behaviour from an early age.

Algarve Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Jornal do Algarve ↗

Water, land and the aftermath of fire

Madeira plans permanent grazing scheme to prevent wildfires

Madeira's regional government wants to turn controlled grazing into a permanent tool for maintaining cleared forest land, fencing off areas after vegetation removal and letting livestock in to stop flammable growth returning. President Miguel Albuquerque has backed the approach since at least October 2023, and pilot schemes already run in areas like Caminho dos Pretos and near Hospital dos Marmeleiros. A 2023 Socialist Party bill to formalise grazing as a fire-prevention tool was rejected by the regional parliament, though the PS has since submitted a new proposal. Albuquerque's stance has shifted notably since 2019, when he opposed livestock returning to the mountains.

Madeira Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Diário de Notícias da Madeira ↗

Public consultation opens on Foupana dam environmental impact study

Portugal's Environment Agency (APA) has launched the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the planned Foupana dam, in Castro Marim, in the eastern Algarve. A public consultation period runs from Monday until 12 October, with project documents available on the Participa portal. APA said all written opinions and suggestions relating specifically to the project will be considered, and must be addressed to the agency's president before the consultation period ends. Licensing of the dam can only proceed once a favourable or conditionally favourable Environmental Impact Statement has been issued.

Algarve Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Jornal do Algarve ↗

Almada water supply alert to end after seven weeks

Almada's municipal water authority, SMAS, says the alert declared on 8 July over supply failures will not be extended and ends on Monday. Reservoir levels have stayed above 70%, reaching 77% on Thursday, prompting officials to describe the situation as more manageable. The disruptions, concentrated in Costa da Caparica, triggered public protests. Earlier in August, SMAS and the local health authority issued statements insisting tap water remained safe and legally compliant, citing reinforced sampling, chlorine monitoring and health surveillance since the crisis began.

Lisbon Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Green Savers ↗

Government clears land for Lisbon's new ETAR do Este plant

The Portuguese government has published four declarations of public utility in the official gazette, unblocking the land and procedures needed to build the new ETAR do Este wastewater treatment plant. Issued by the Ministry of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, the declarations cover expropriation of the plant's site, administrative easements, and temporary occupation of adjacent land needed for the outfall pipe and treatment station construction. Construction is now expected to begin this year.

Lisbon Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Diário do Minho ↗

Needs attention

Quercus opposes open-pit kaolin and clay mine near Peniche

Environmental group Quercus has formally opposed a planned open-pit kaolin and clay mine in Serra d'El-Rei, Peniche municipality, citing proximity to villages and risks to water and air quality. It has asked the Portuguese Environment Agency to reject the project's environmental impact statement or suspend the process pending further studies. Quercus warns of aquifer contamination, uncontrolled emissions of carcinogenic crystalline silica dust, and damage to 471 cork oaks and protected species. The Motamineral-led project, spanning 101 hectares with a 20-year state concession, has already received unfavourable opinions from the Óbidos and Peniche councils.

Centro Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Jornal PT Green ↗

NordicEPOD begins data centre power equipment production in Viana

NordicEPOD, a joint venture between Norway's CTS and US firm Eaton, has started producing power reception, transformation, distribution and stabilisation equipment for data centres at a new plant in Viana do Castelo, the local council announced. The company invested 50 million euros in the facility, located between the Darque and Vila Nova de Anha parishes, which began operating two weeks ago with two work shifts. NordicEPOD already has orders secured until June 2027 and plans to expand production next year, aiming to create around 500 jobs. It also intends to build a training centre and a showroom.

Norte Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Diário do Minho ↗

Ideas from the lab

Portuguese researchers study underground rock storage for renewable energy

Researchers from NOVA University Lisbon's GeoBioTec and the University of Lisbon's Instituto Dom Luiz published a study in the journal Geoenergy on compressed-air energy storage in porous rock formations (CAES-PM). The technology stores excess renewable electricity by compressing air into deep geological reservoirs, later releasing it to drive turbines. The study, described as the first to combine geological and thermodynamic criteria systematically, found reservoirs could store around 1 terawatt-hour, enough for hundreds of thousands of homes. The authors cite the April 2025 Iberian blackout as context and propose a methodology for identifying suitable underground reservoirs.

Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Revista Sustentável ↗

Aveiro researcher turns brewing waste into water filter

A University of Aveiro researcher, Érika Sousa, has developed biochar and activated carbon from spent brewer's grain, a major by-product of beer production, to remove antibiotics such as sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin from wastewater. Using chemical activation and microwave pyrolysis, described as more energy-efficient than conventional methods, the materials performed competitively against commercial activated carbon. Surface modifications and molecularly imprinted polymers improved selectivity when multiple contaminants were present, and thermal regeneration allowed the material to be reused. The work, part of a doctoral thesis at CESAM, is presented as a circular economy approach to more sustainable wastewater treatment.

Centro Products, Consumption & Circular Read more at Green Savers ↗

Getting around

Braga to remove all shared e-scooters by Tuesday

Bolt, the only shared e-scooter operator in Braga, will withdraw all its units from the city between 31 August and 1 September, meeting a deadline set by the municipal council. The council voted in June to suspend the scheme, citing safety concerns after more than 40 accidents involving scooters and bicycles this year, mostly among under-18s. Mayor João Rodrigues said scooter numbers had grown from 100 eight years ago to nearly 600 today, with trips rising from 32,000 in 2023 to 144,000 last year. The contract termination carries no cost to the municipality.

Norte Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Diário do Minho ↗

A roof over your head

Vila Real de Santo António buys 114 public housing units

The Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António has completed the purchase of 114 homes built on the former Cine-Foz site, in a deal worth over 27 million euros funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). The deeds were signed on 27 August with the mayor, Álvaro Araújo, and the head of the IHRU housing institute, António Benjamim Pereira. The homes, on Rua 25 de Abril and Rua Sousa Martins, add to earlier phases of public housing delivered in the municipality. A further 96 homes near the local Intermarché are also planned. A competition for allocating the units is expected to open soon, though demand is likely to exceed supply.

Algarve Construction & Housing Read more at Jornal do Algarve ↗

Beja councillors inspect first 18 of 45 new homes

Socialist Party councillors on Beja's municipal council visited the first 18 of 45 homes being built under the Local Housing Strategy. The T1 and T3 units are intended for affordable rental, aiming to widen housing options for families struggling to access accommodation. The visit also covered a transitional housing unit run in partnership with the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Beja, offering temporary accommodation and support to vulnerable people seeking greater autonomy. The councillors said they intend to keep monitoring progress and argued housing should remain a municipal priority.

Alentejo Construction & Housing Read more at Rádio Pax ↗

Rules and support

Portugal's new solar self-consumption rules take effect

As of 28 August, Decree-Law 130/2026 changes the rules governing Portugal's electricity system, strengthening collective self-consumption and energy sharing among solar panel owners, including in apartment buildings. Grid connection requests must now be submitted exclusively online, and new renewable energy projects requiring a licence must receive it within 90 days, with tacit approval if that deadline is missed. The new rules apply only to procedures started from 28 August onwards. DGEG data show collective self-consumption is growing fast, with Portugal surpassing 2,000 active projects after 837 were added between June and July alone.

Energy, Water & Mobility Read more at Postal ↗

Beekeeping cooperative CAPEMEL seeks to buy Portuguese honey

CAPEMEL, a cooperative of beekeepers, producers and honey packers, is looking to buy honey from Portuguese producers, aiming to strengthen its purchase of domestic output. It wants to hear from producers with honey available for sale from any region, provided it meets quality requirements. The cooperative is interested in details such as available quantities, origin and characteristics of the honey. Interested beekeepers can contact CAPEMEL by phone or email to present their product and discuss purchase terms.

Food & Agriculture Read more at Voz do Campo ↗

Save the date

Lisbon-area culinary congress spotlights Madeira and Morocco

The 22nd Congresso de Cozinha will take place on 27-28 September at the Jardins do Marquês de Pombal in Oeiras, with Madeira as guest region and Morocco as guest country. Organised around the theme "O Mar", the event brings together more than 80 national and international speakers to discuss sustainability, territory and culinary innovation, including seafood ageing, aquaculture and seasonality. Moroccan chef Lahcen Hafid will lead a masterclass, joined by Madeiran, Portuguese and international chefs and researchers from IPMA and the Fundação Champalimaud. Two exclusive dinners in Lisbon precede the official opening, on 25 and 26 September.

Lisbon Food & Agriculture Read more at Jornal Económico ↗

Gerês nature imagery festival returns for sixth edition

The IRIS Festival, dedicated to nature photography and video, returns to Vila do Gerês on 26 and 27 September for its sixth edition. Organised by the Terras de Bouro municipality, the two-day event takes place within the Peneda-Gerês National Park and brings together photographers, videographers and nature enthusiasts. The programme includes talks, workshops, photography walks and exhibitions, alongside a photo contest with three categories - wildlife, the national park, and natural landscape - plus a separate video contest. Full details on registration are available on the festival's official platform.

Norte Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Wilder ↗

Marinha Grande hosts fourth Municipal Education Meeting in September

Marinha Grande's town council will hold the fourth Encontro Municipal de Educação on 3 and 4 September at the Sport Operário Marinhense auditorium, under the theme "Territórios Resilientes Educam e Transformam". The programme brings together specialists, researchers and teachers for conferences, workshops and panels on topics including neurodevelopment, literacy, school-family relations and educational innovation. Speakers include writer and researcher Isabel Alçada, neurologist Nuno Lobo Antunes, and representatives from universities and institutions such as CCDR-C and the Aga Khan Foundation. The opening session will feature an address by the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre.

Centro Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Jornal de Leiria ↗

Portugal launches survey on public perceptions of its forests

The Portuguese Society of Forest Sciences (SPCF) has launched a questionnaire to gauge how the public views and values Portugal's forests. Open to anyone aged 18 or over, the anonymous survey has 24 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Results will be presented at the 10th National Forestry Congress, held from 5 to 9 October 2026 at the Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, under the theme of sustainable connections between forests, people and territory. Data will also be published on the SPCF website and may be used for academic purposes.

Ecosystems & Biodiversity Read more at Rede Rural ↗

Small wonders, close to home

Albufeira signs deal for free science centre visits

Albufeira's municipal council has signed an agreement with the Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve (CCVAlg) in Faro, giving preschool and primary school pupils free study visits and bringing science activities and travelling exhibitions into local schools. Albufeira residents will get free entry on Sundays, or Saturdays if the centre is closed, while public and private entities receive discounts of 10% and 5% respectively. The council is providing annual funding of 12,500 euros. The agreement, signed by mayor Rui Cristina and CCVAlg director Cristina Veiga-Pires, runs for the calendar year and can be renewed automatically.

Algarve Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Barlavento ↗

Lagoa to host evening event on moths, 18 September

The municipality of Lagoa, in partnership with the Associação A Rocha, is organising an environmental awareness activity dedicated to moths on 18 September, from 9pm to 11pm, at the Parque Municipal do Sítio das Fontes in Estômbar. The event aims to explain moths' role in ecosystem balance and food security, and to counter negative perceptions often attached to them. It is free but requires registration by email, is open to people over 16, and is limited to the first 12 sign-ups.

Algarve Education & Eco-tourism Read more at Jornal do Algarve ↗

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