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17 September 2026

Wednesday brings whales listening in off São Jorge, rivers set free in Santarém, and a boy in Faro counting bottles towards a dream. Here is the day, gathered calmly.

Nature & biodiversity

Acoustic buoy installed off São Jorge to monitor marine life

A hydrophone-equipped buoy has been installed off São Jorge island as part of the EUROPAM project, which studies human impact on marine life and ocean soundscapes. Lead Azores researcher Cláudia Oliveira said it is the project's first buoy deployed and could eventually feed a ship-collision warning system for large whales. The device, called BOMBYX, uses four submerged hydrophones to detect whales, dolphins, boats and seismic activity, though the alert software is not yet functional. It will be removed for winter and redeployed in March, when the project, also running in France, Italy and Norway, concludes.

AzoresEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Açoriano Oriental ↗

GNR rescues trapped otter in Amarante, man identified

GNR environmental officers rescued a Eurasian otter found trapped in a metal cage in Salvador do Monte, Amarante, on 14 September. The rescue followed a tip to the SOS Ambiente e Território hotline. Officers seized the trap, which had sliding doors, and monitored the otter before releasing it back into the wild once deemed fit. A 64-year-old man was identified in connection with the case, which has been referred to Amarante Judicial Court. The GNR gave no details on why the trap had been set.

NorteEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Portugal Resident ↗

Sagres to host four-day bird migration festival in October

The village of Sagres will hold a four-day event from 2 to 5 October centred on the autumn bird migration, drawing ornithologists, naturalists and families. The programme includes field outings, guided walks and science-focused activities, positioning the Algarve town as a nature-tourism destination outside the peak summer season. The initiative highlights the region's appeal for bird-watching during migration periods.

AlgarveEducation & Eco-tourismRead more at Agroportal ↗

Albufeira completes revamp of 13 public green spaces

Albufeira Municipal Council has finished upgrading 13 public green spaces as part of a three-year plan aimed at cutting water use and boosting native plant cover. The works covered roundabouts, leisure areas and residential zones across the municipality, including sites near Olhos d'Água, Cerro Grande, the Marina and Praia dos Aveiros. The council says native and locally adapted species need less irrigation and make green spaces more resilient. The scheme also seeks to increase plant diversity and improve areas for leisure and outdoor activities, with further sites across the municipality still to be covered over the remaining plan period.

AlgarveEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Barlavento ↗

Portugal's Environmental Fund allocates €3.8m for protected area co-management

Portugal's Environmental Fund is investing €3.8 million in 2026 and 2027 to support co-management of protected areas, implementing plans already approved. The money will fund ecological restoration, nature tourism projects, promotion of local products, preservation of cultural traditions, and partnerships between territories. A second strand of funding will strengthen technical teams within Co-management Committees, supporting project implementation, participatory management and the running of protected areas. The Environment Ministry says the aim is to generate shared benefits for municipalities and local communities and to encourage sustainable development in these territories.

Ecosystems & BiodiversityMore on this story →

Getting around

Viana do Castelo closes main avenue for car-free day

Viana do Castelo's council is marking European Mobility Week until Tuesday with a programme of events, including an electric car showcase, cycling workshops and children's activities. On Tuesday, for European Car Free Day, Avenida dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra will be closed to traffic from 09:30 to 17:00. That day, TUViana bus services and the Santa Luzia funicular will be free, with live music aboard several bus lines. Separately, TUViana is visiting secondary schools across the municipality this month with a mini-bus to register users, renew passes and answer questions from students and staff.

NorteEnergy, Water & MobilityMore on this story →

Free MobiAve bus travel in Famalicão for Car-Free Day

On Tuesday 22 September, European Car-Free Day, public transport across the MobiAve network will be free for passengers in Famalicão, Trofa and Santo Tirso, the municipality has announced. The initiative forms part of European Mobility Week, running until 26 September under the theme "Mobility for All - Intergenerational Justice". Events include a Mobility Market on 19 September with electric bikes and scooters, a pedestrian rally through the city's shops, a walk marking the Bernardino Machado Museum's 25th anniversary, and the fourth edition of Famalicão Sustentável, a cycling and walking event on 26 September.

NorteEnergy, Water & MobilityMore on this story →

Energy & the grid

Portugal plans to double electricity storage capacity by 2030

A public consultation has closed on a national strategy to double Portugal's electricity storage capacity by the end of the decade. The plan is intended to secure electricity supplies as the country expands renewable generation, which requires greater storage capacity to manage variable output from sources such as solar and wind. No further details of the consultation's outcome or the strategy's specific targets were given.

Energy, Water & MobilityRead more at The Portugal News ↗

Ourique mayor demands local returns from Alentejo solar boom

Portugal's new PSZAER programme has designated 2,742 hectares across eight Baixo Alentejo municipalities as renewable acceleration zones, speeding up licensing for solar projects. Almodôvar has the largest share, followed by Ourique and Beja. Ourique mayor Marcelo Guerreiro backs harnessing the region's solar potential but warns that hosting panels and transmission lines must not leave the region with only the impacts while wealth flows elsewhere. He calls for territorial compensation mechanisms, fairer property taxation, integrated grid planning and greater use of underground high-voltage lines, alongside protection of farmland, landscape and biodiversity.

AlentejoEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at Rádio Pax ↗

Agrivoltaics pitched as way to combine farming and solar power

As pressure grows on land use, water availability and the energy transition, agrivoltaics is emerging as a solution that combines farming and renewable energy production on the same plot of land. The approach allows solar panels and crops or livestock to share space, aiming to make more efficient use of scarce land. A key principle discussed is that agriculture should remain the primary use of the land, with energy production as a complementary activity rather than a replacement.

Food & AgricultureRead more at Vida Rural ↗

Land, water & farming

Beja to host national irrigation congress on water resilience

Beja will host the XI National Irrigation and Drainage Congress from 30 September to 2 October, organised by the Centro Operativo e de Tecnologia de Regadio, with Portugal's Agriculture Minister attending. Discussions will focus on climate adaptation, water efficiency and artificial intelligence in farming, as DGADR projections warn irrigation water needs could rise 27.5% by 2071-2100 under a harsher climate scenario. Irrigated land covers 17% of Portugal's used agricultural area but generates around 30% of national output. The congress will also see the public launch of a new National Barometer for efficient agricultural water use, developed with CONSULAI.

AlentejoEnergy, Water & MobilityMore on this story → View project: GEOTA →

Free webinar to cover digital tools for irrigated farming

The Centro Operativo e Tecnológico de Regadio (COTR) is organising a free online webinar on 18 September, from 10:00 to 12:15, on digitalisation in irrigated agriculture, held via Zoom. The session, aimed at farmers and technicians, will present tools and solutions to make irrigation more efficient and future-ready. It takes place under the EU-cofinanced Interreg Sudoe Smart Green Water project, which brings together nine partners from Spain, France and Portugal to promote digital transformation of irrigation across south-western Europe, with COTR as the Portuguese representative. Registration is mandatory though free of charge.

AlentejoFood & AgricultureRead more at Rede Rural ↗

New project links 500 migrants to Alentejo farm jobs

A new project called LIMA Alentejo, led by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Beja, aims to connect farms in the region with available workers, including migrants, through a digital platform matching job offers, skills and labour needs. The initiative also includes 250 hours of training until December 2027 in farming techniques, Portuguese language, workplace safety and labour rights, plus social support and legal guidance. It involves nine entities from the agricultural, social, business and municipal sectors, and is presented to farmers in Beja this Thursday. It will directly involve 500 migrants by the end of 2027.

AlentejoFood & AgricultureMore on this story →

Benvindo Maçãs wins Armando Sevinate Pinto award at Vida Rural Prizes

The Vida Rural Prizes, held on 10 September during the Terra'26 regenerative agriculture festival, named their 2025 winners. Benvindo Maçãs, former head of biotechnology and genetic resources research at INIAV, received the Armando Sevinate Pinto Personality Award. Other winners included fruit grower Martinha Vieira, Herdade de São Luís, forestry investor Antarr, the Alcobaça Apple Producers Association, the University of Porto's Faculty of Sciences for its Eucabio bio-pesticide, and the Carnes da Montanha project, chosen by readers in the Domestic Biodiversity Guardian category. The awards recognise innovation, sustainability and market orientation in Portuguese agribusiness.

Food & AgricultureRead more at Vida Rural ↗

Needs attention

ZERO calls for tighter checks on fluorinated gas trade

On the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, environmental association ZERO urged Portugal to step up enforcement against illegal trade in HFCs and speed up adoption of natural refrigerants such as CO2 and propane. Portugal ratified the 2016 Kigali Amendment early but enforcement lags, ZERO says, noting Portugal is a destination for HFCs smuggled from China via Spain, with the illegal market estimated at 20-30% of the EU's legal trade. A 2021 seizure of 10 tonnes at the border drew only a €40,000 fine, below the likely profit from the offence. ZERO wants closer cooperation between the Climate Agency, customs and the GNR.

Energy, Water & MobilityMore on this story → View project: ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável →

New group pitches land-lease model to fix housing crisis

A newly launched Housing and Development for Portugal Association says it has a plan to tackle the housing crisis without public investment: municipalities would cede land to private entities for 40 to 60 years, who would build homes and sell rental operation rights to financial funds, with land reverting to councils afterwards. Led by Barreiro's deputy mayor Rui Miguel Braga, the model is already being tested there, with 202 affordable units approved and nearly €30 million in private financing expected. The government attended the presentation but was sceptical, insisting no single solution exists.

LisbonConstruction & HousingRead more at Portugal Resident ↗

Good to know

STIHL debates professional electrification at Guimarães urban cleaning event

STIHL Portugal took part in the 8th Urban Cleaning Meeting (ENLU) in Guimarães on 8-9 September, presenting its STIHL ALLPRO professional battery equipment range. The event included a roundtable, 'Electrification: promise fulfilled?', featuring representatives from The Navigator Company, Like Garden and STIHL Portugal, examining whether battery technology already meets professional operational demands. Participants concluded that factors like battery life, charging logistics, operator training and process adaptation are as important as the equipment itself. STIHL's central message was that the shift to battery power starts with how operations are organised, not just with the machinery.

NorteEnergy, Water & MobilityMore on this story →

Arcos de Valdevez to host international conference on nature

Arcos de Valdevez will host the international conference "Fazer a Paz com a Terra" (Making Peace with the Earth) from 24 to 26 September. Organised by the programme of the same name with support from the municipality, the event brings together researchers from various fields to discuss the relationship between humanity, territory and the planet. Its timing, close to the Autumn Equinox and Portugal's National Sustainability Day, is meant to underline the link between scientific knowledge and collective responsibility. Speakers from Portugal, Brazil and Spain/Galicia will take part, giving the programme an international, Iberian and Lusophone dimension.

NorteEducation & Eco-tourismRead more at Alto Minho ↗

Close to home

Faro boy, 8, collects bottles and cans to buy a 3D printer

Mateus Salvador, an eight-year-old from Faro, has spent about a year collecting bottles and cans to fund a 3D printer, using Portugal's Volta deposit-return system, which pays ten cents per container. His family set a target of roughly seven thousand containers, and he has already passed the halfway mark. The project, called 'Do Volta ao 3D', has drawn in relatives, friends, strangers and even a local shop, and doubles as a lesson in saving, patience and effort. Much of the process is being filmed and shared online, with subtitles added so deaf relatives can follow along.

AlgarveProducts, Consumption & CircularRead more at Postal ↗
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