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1 September 2026

Good morning. Today the map of Portugal is being redrawn in quiet ways: a first-of-its-kind legal promise to let land heal, two mining decisions in the balance, and a beach in Nazare that is 415 kilos lighter.

Land, and who speaks for it

Portugal uses land-surface right to permanently protect land for rewilding

Rewilding Portugal, The Lifescape Project and law firm PLMJ have signed and registered Portugal's first agreement using the legal instrument known as "direito de superfície" to permanently commit a private property to ecological restoration. This tool lets land stay under its owner's title while another party holds a durable real right over it for a specific purpose, traditionally construction or farming/forestry, now adapted for conservation. Because the agreement is formally registered, the restoration commitment binds the land itself, even through future sale or inheritance. The initiative ties into Lifescape Project's Rewilding Law Hub, which develops legal mechanisms to secure land for rewilding across different countries.

CentroEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Rewilding Portugal ↗ View project: Rewilding Portugal →

Portugal submits draft nature restoration plan to Brussels

Portugal has submitted its draft National Nature Restoration Plan to the European Commission, ahead of the 31 August deadline set by the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. The 375-measure document, coordinated by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, covers terrestrial, marine, freshwater, urban, agricultural and forest ecosystems. It followed a public consultation that drew 184 contributions. Portugal is the third member state to submit such a plan. The Commission now has six months to review it, after which Portugal has a further six months to finalise and publish the definitive version, expected between September 2026 and August 2027.

Ecosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Revista Sustentável ↗ View project: ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas →

Setúbal protesters rally again over five Arrábida beaches dispute

Hundreds of people joined a flashmob in Setúbal to oppose a wealthy family's attempt to claim exclusive ownership of five Arrábida beaches. Sociedade Palácio da Comenda, owner of Herdade da Comenda, has taken legal action seeking recognition of private ownership over land including the beaches of Rasca, Comenda, Rainha, Maria Esguelha and Albarquel, plus a stretch along the Ribeiro da Ajuda. The Public Prosecutor's Office and Portugal's environment agency, APA, reject the claims, as do local residents. Court proceedings continue, and organisers criticised Setúbal's municipal executive for staying silent, while announcing a further protest on 3 October at Galé Beach.

LisbonEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Portugal Resident ↗

Under consultation, under objection

Óbidos and Peniche oppose open-pit mine in Serra d'El-Rei

Óbidos and Peniche councils have submitted unfavourable opinions to Portugal's environment agency, APA, against the C-185 Royal China Clay concession granted to Motamineral, part of the Mota Ceramic Solutions group. The project would extract 569,000 tonnes of material annually for 20 years from a roughly 108-hectare open-pit mine in Serra d'El-Rei, mostly sand and common clay, with kaolin the smallest share. Councils warn of heavy water use, soil and habitat degradation, landscape damage, heavy truck traffic and noise. They are urging residents to submit objections via the Portal Participa before 1 September.

CentroEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Jornal de Leiria ↗

Quercus opposes kaolin mining project in Serra d'El-Rei

Environmental group Quercus has come out against the C-185 'Royal China Clay' mining concession in Serra d'El-Rei, Peniche, and is urging the CIM Oeste to formally oppose it. The project, run by MOTAMINERAL to supply MCS's ceramics plant, covers over 100 hectares with a 20-year lifespan and is under public consultation until 1 September. Quercus cites risks to water resources, air quality, protected habitats and cork oaks, of which 71% in the area would be affected. It also criticises the consultation's timing during summer holidays and calls for an unfavourable environmental impact decision or suspension of the process.

CentroEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Ambiente Magazine ↗

Gavião council opposes Endesa solar and wind power line project

The municipal council of Gavião, in Portalegre district, issued an unfavourable opinion on an Endesa project for a 220 kV power line linking Atalaia-Torre das Vargens and Cruzeiro-Concavada, part of infrastructure tied to the Pego thermal plant's conversion to renewables. Mayor António Severino said the council already has 400 hectares classified as solar park area, 80 of them covered by panels, and argued further projects would harm the territory and worsen depopulation. He said the plan involves a substation near a village and would route lines from Crato, Ponte de Sor and Gavião through it, with heavy impacts on nearby villages.

AlentejoEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at Jornal PT Green ↗

Environmental groups reject small nuclear reactors for Portugal

Portuguese environmental organisations Geota, Quercus and Zero have dismissed small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) as a viable energy solution for Portugal, calling them expensive, slow and risky. Responding to renewed global interest in nuclear investment, all three groups argue Portugal should instead focus on renewables, storage, grid reinforcement and energy efficiency, resources they say the country already has in abundance. They warn SMRs remain an unproven technology, generate more radioactive waste per unit of electricity than large reactors, and would divert investment from faster, cheaper solutions. Nuclear power, they add, remains the most expensive electricity source and produces long-lived hazardous waste.

Energy, Water & MobilityRead more at Green Savers ↗ View project: GEOTA →

Where the money went

Lisbon gets digital twin to test low-emission zone policies

The NOVA Information Management School is coordinating NexTCity, an EU-funded project building a digital twin of Lisbon's Low Emission Zone. By combining climate, environmental and mobility data, the platform will let officials simulate policy scenarios and anticipate their effects on air quality, urban heat islands and public health before implementation. Funded under Horizon Europe, the project involves NOVA IMS, KU Leuven, Universitat Jaume I and Lisboa E-Nova. Beyond Lisbon, the team hopes the tools developed could later be applied in other Portuguese and European cities.

LisbonEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at Green Savers ↗

Fields, herds and the price of milk

Portuguese researcher elected first woman to lead legume science society

Carlota Vaz Patto, a researcher at ITQB NOVA, has been elected president of the International Legume Society, becoming the first woman to hold the role. In an interview, she says legumes' main obstacle in Portugal and Europe remains poor profitability for farmers, a legacy of decades of underinvestment in breeding, agronomy and value chains. She sets out priorities for her term, including boosting research funding, supporting young scientists, strengthening ties between science and policymakers, and building more stable markets, aiming to position legumes as strategic crops for food sovereignty, soil health and climate resilience.

Food & AgricultureRead more at Vida Rural ↗

Cities that change their habits

Porto shifts waste collection on Santa Catarina street to evenings

From 31 August, Porto Ambiente will collect waste from shops along Rua de Santa Catarina only after closing time, ending the presence of rubbish bags on the pavement during business hours. Recyclables will be collected from 7pm and organic waste from 9pm, covering nearly 1.5km of shops between Bolhão and Batalha. The city council says the change matches collection to the street's heavy footfall. Porto Ambiente contacted businesses beforehand by email and in person, and will have teams on site in the first days to guide shopkeepers, alongside free training sessions on waste separation.

NorteProducts, Consumption & CircularRead more at Ambiente Magazine ↗

Buying used cars and bikes saves buyers thousands, OLX report finds

A report by the OLX Group, the Impact Report FY26, found that buying a used car saves an average of €2,890 compared with a new one, while used motorcycles save €1,539. Sellers also benefit, earning an average of €8,537 per car and €2,676 per motorcycle sold. Beyond price, reuse cuts resource consumption: each reused car avoids around 1,262 kg of CO2 equivalent, 119,000 litres of water, 697 kg of materials and 23,316 megajoules of energy. Across seven markets, including Portugal, over 5.9 million used items were traded between April 2025 and March 2026, avoiding an estimated 155 billion litres of water and 1.78 million tonnes of CO2.

Products, Consumption & CircularRead more at Postal ↗

Good to know

Bussaco Forest posts best August in 17-year history

The Mata do Bussaco Foundation reported its best operational, tourism and financial results in its 17-year history for August, up 25% on the same month last year and 20% above its previous best. Revenue reached around 175,000 euros, against 135,000 euros in August 2025, driven by entry tickets, shop and bar sales, tourism office activity, tuk-tuks and events. Vehicle entries rose from 7,310 to 8,750, and visits to the Santa Cruz do Bussaco Convent grew from 3,660 to 4,830. The foundation's president credited the result to staff, visitors, media coverage and institutional partners.

CentroEducation & Eco-tourismRead more at Observador ↗

Coimbra space summer school closes this year in Pampilhosa da Serra

The 12th edition of the Coimbra Space Summer School, organised by the Instituto Pedro Nunes under the European Space Agency's ESA BIC Centro incubator, runs for three days in September and ends with activities in the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra. The programme is inspired by the Artemis II mission and targets higher education students, researchers, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, encouraging them to turn space technologies into viable business models. Participants will work in multidisciplinary teams on topics such as astronaut health, deep-space communications and lunar resource prospecting, visiting Pampilhosa da Serra's space observatory before presenting their ideas to a jury.

CentroEducation & Eco-tourismRead more at Diário de Coimbra ↗

Small wonders, close to home

Volunteers remove over 400kg of waste from Areeira beach

A group of 34 volunteers, including hikers and scout leaders from various regions of Portugal, collected 415 kilograms of waste from Areeira beach in Nazaré. The clean-up, organised by environmental movement One Piece After Another, took place on Saturday and lasted 180 minutes. Items removed included ropes, fishing traps, styrofoam, nets, plastic packaging, glass, cotton swabs, bottle caps, toothbrushes and lamps. The Nazaré municipal council supported the initiative.

CentroEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Jornal de Leiria ↗

Padroso to revive traditional potato-digging festival

The parish of Padroso, in Arcos de Valdevez, will recreate the traditional Escavada da Batata (potato harvest) on 5 September, starting at 8:30am at Largo das Lamosas. The event is organised by Arcos de Valdevez Council and the local agricultural cooperative, together with Padroso's parish council and the Associação Amigos da Terra de Padroso. It aims to revive old farming practices linked to rural life and community work, while also offering a social gathering for residents. Organisers say the goal is to promote and safeguard local agricultural traditions and the value of rural heritage.

NorteFood & AgricultureRead more at Alto Minho ↗

Mértola and Serpa unveil cross-border farm fair programme

The 22nd Feira Agropecuária Transfronteiriça do Vale do Poço takes place from 11 to 13 September, jointly organised by the municipalities of Mértola and Serpa. The programme combines farming-related activities with music, folk performances, sports, food and wine tastings, and cross-border initiatives. Highlights include an equestrian parade and gala, a sheepdog demonstration, a choral groups gathering, and evening dances featuring performers such as Quim Barreiros. The event aims to promote rural traditions and strengthen ties between communities on both sides of the Portugal-Spain border.

AlentejoFood & AgricultureRead more at Barlavento ↗
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