Madeira switches off outdoor lights for three hours to guide fledgling Cory's shearwaters to sea
Madeira and Porto Santo are asked to turn off unnecessary outdoor lighting between 8pm and 11pm on Friday 30 October, the expected peak night for young shearwaters leaving their nests. Artificial light disorients the birds, which can crash or fall in built-up areas. SPEA Madeira, which organised the blackout, records about 200 fallen birds a year and sees signs of a decline, possibly linked to better lighting. Floodlights aimed at cliffs and the sea, and lit pools near the coast, remain a problem. Four municipalities, hotels and both airports are taking part, under the EU co-funded LIFE Natura@night project, which runs to the end of 2027.
Black vulture breeding pairs rise in Portugal as sixth colony is found
Between 127 and 131 black vulture pairs nested in the monitored colonies in 2026, up from 119-126 the year before, and fledglings rose from 56 to an estimated 61-68. A new colony at Monfortinho, in central Portugal, brings the known total to six; it has two pairs and produced one fledgling. The Tejo Internacional area still holds over half the pairs. The Douro Internacional colony is recovering after the August 2025 wildfire, though results differ between colonies. Wildfires, poisoning, illegal killing, food scarcity and poorly planned renewable-energy infrastructure remain threats, and at least 33 monitored pairs breed on the Spanish side of the border.
15-year-old naturalist Vasco Fonseca finds possible new mite species in northern Portugal
Vasco Fonseca, a 15-year-old from Azeitão, has built a life around observing nature, from childhood snail rescues to bird festivals and citizen science. At Christmas 2024, lifting a rock in the hills near Porto, he photographed a tiny creature later identified as belonging to the mite genus Opilioacarus, possibly never recorded in Portugal and perhaps a new species. He also studies wild orchids and encourages beginners to start close to home, use the iNaturalist app, join local events and respect habitats. A small patch of spontaneous vegetation at his school has produced 545 recorded species.
Portugal tells COP17 new marine protected areas will cover about a quarter of its waters
At the UN biodiversity conference COP17 in Armenia, Portugal's Environment Secretary of State, João Manuel Esteves, said the planned Azores Marine Park and the D. Carlos Marine Nature Reserve would bring roughly 25% of the country's maritime space under protection. He framed this as Portugal's contribution to the global aim of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030, alongside implementation of the High Seas Treaty. At home, 61 Special Areas of Conservation under Natura 2000 have now been designated. Esteves admitted progress since the Kunming-Montreal framework remains insufficient and called for more funding, including private money, and for harmful subsidies to be scrapped or reformed.
Online game lets players draw a collective artwork in living fungi
Artist Tomás João, working with four researchers from the Ce3C ecology centre at the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Sciences, has launched an online game called 10 000 Well Plate. Between 1 and 7 November, each player can claim up to 46 of 11,520 wells and pick one of four fungi, so every well works as a coloured pixel. The chosen Aspergillus and Penicillium strains are then inoculated in the laboratory and spread beyond their wells, gradually altering the human designs. The winning team receives a signed photographic print, and an exhibition opens at the MUHNAC museum in Lisbon on 27 November 2026.
Évora study finds research on cork oak montado overlooks key social groups
University of Évora researchers reviewed 55 scientific publications on Portugal's montado and Spain's dehesa. Published in Agroforestry Systems, the review finds research has mostly captured the views of landowners, farmers and land-management bodies, while consumers, rural workers, businesses and civil-society groups are far less studied. It sorts the literature into four themes: cultural heritage and rural tourism, biodiversity conservation, public policy and natural resources, and livestock grazing. The authors argue that sustainability needs an integrated, participative approach and public policies better suited to these landscapes, which face climate change, degradation and rural abandonment. The work is meant to guide future research and strengthen the resilience of these systems.
JPP challenges concrete bridge in Ponta de São Lourenço trail works
Madeira's JPP party is questioning the regional government's choice to replace a wooden bridge with a concrete one during upgrade works on the Ponta de São Lourenço trail. The area belongs to the Natura 2000 network, classified as both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area. Deputy Rafael Nunes, who chairs the regional parliament's environment committee, accepts that the paths need repair and safety improvements. He asks why natural engineering solutions were not used and whether an environmental impact assessment was carried out. The party will request the execution project, environmental opinions and supporting studies from the government and the forestry and nature conservation institute.
Lanhelas parish demands halt to landfill works on River Minho bank
The parish council of Lanhelas, in Caminha, has asked for the immediate suspension of landfill and other works on the River Minho bank at Rego da Torre, beside Quinta da Torre. Its president, Adolfo Marrocos, reports earth-moving, altered banks, new posts and fencing, and fresh planting, and suspects unlawful occupation of public water domain. The council wants the Portuguese Environment Agency, the GNR and the Maritime Authority to inspect the site and establish what authorisations exist. Caminha's mayor, Liliana Silva, says the municipality has alerted the competent bodies and that no licensing request exists for the site.
