Heat and very low humidity are making Europe’s large wildfires extremely difficult to control. In Portugal, researchers are testing earlier detection and managed grazing, while wildlife surveys reveal severe losses alongside tentative returns. Circular solutions also moved forward, from brewery waste that removes antibiotics from water to food waste turned into soil improver, as Quercus warned of a looming right-to-repair deadline.
Extreme heat and dry air can put major fires beyond easy control. The response under trial starts sooner: autonomous surveillance in Leiria and grazing in Paredes de Coura aim to spot danger early and reduce the vegetation available to burn.
Commentator Jorge Mendes told CNN Portugal that the large wildfires now affecting Europe are extremely difficult to control, driven by heatwaves and very low humidity. He notes they are occurring with unprecedented frequency.
Researchers at the University of Leiria and Oeste have upgraded an autonomous surveillance system combining drones, AI and digital twins, with a smart docking station for automatic landing and recharging. It is being validated with the GNR's Leiria command for early wildfire detection.
Grazing goats are being trialled as a way to reduce fuel load and prevent forest fires, within the European Green Gap project. Researchers are also tracking the effects on soil recovery and biodiversity, with local producers taking part.
Portugal’s wildlife picture mixes documented decline with narrow, uncertain gains. Castro Verde’s rollers rely on artificial nests, possible beaver settlement still needs confirmation, and seabirds face pressures at sea and in their breeding grounds.
SPEA's Nuno Oliveira explains how the new Sentinelas do Oceano survey updates the seabird atlas, showing bycatch, poor breeding success and declines in species such as the shag and Cory's shearwater. He points to ongoing conservation work in the Berlengas and calls for wider involvement from authorities and citizens.
The roller has lost 67% of its Portuguese range in two decades, yet the breeding population at Castro Verde has doubled thanks to artificial nests, holding 96% of the national pairs in 2024. Researchers warn the recovery is fragile while it depends on maintaining those structures.
Two Rewilding Portugal technicians describe how years of monitoring led them to the first traces of European beaver near the Douro, arriving from Spain via the Tormes. Transects and camera traps will now help confirm whether the species is settling in.
Researchers and waste managers are finding practical uses for brewery and food residues, from removing antibiotics to improving soil. Yet circularity also depends on repair policy, and Quercus warned that Portugal was set to miss an EU deadline.
Quercus warns that Portugal is about to miss the 31 July deadline to transpose EU Directive 2024/1799. It calls for a national repair platform, scrutiny of clauses that obstruct repair and financial incentives for consumers, warning of fresh infringement proceedings.
Research at the University of Aveiro turned spent brewer's grain into biochar and activated carbon capable of removing antibiotics from wastewater. Results matched commercial activated carbon and the materials can be regenerated and reused.
LIPOR processed some 25,000 tonnes of organic waste in the first half of 2026, producing around 5,000 tonnes of the Nutrimais soil improver. It argues this kind of recovery can cut Portugal's reliance on imported fertilisers at a time of rising prices.
The map keeps filling in. This week we added 42 projects and 76 events. Sustainable Living now connects 289 projects, 162 upcoming events and 653 people across Portugal.
Blue Azores is a marine conservation programme born in 2019 from a partnership between the Regional Government of the Azores, the Oceano Azu…
Agrofloresta de Campolide - Bela Flor Respira is a community-led pilot project that transformed a degraded hillside in Lisbon into an urban …
Biofrade is a family-run Portuguese company producing and selling organic food, with shops and a vegetarian grocery-café across the Lourinhã…
From 3pm to 5pm, a field trip to the Tornada river (Trabalhia), during which participants will watch a scientific electrofishing survey, learning in practice how to identify native and endemic species of freshwater fish and about their habitats, threats and conservation measures. Led by: Carla Sousa Santos (Município das Caldas da Rainha) and Sara Duarte (Águas do Tejo Atlântico). Organisation and information: Município das Caldas da Rainha - Gabinete do Ambiente, Espaços…
Free bird-watching activity at the Aveiro salt pans, with binoculars and telescope, aimed at discovering the biodiversity of the ria. Lasting one hour, registration required, limited to 6 to 20 participants.
An evening session of bat watching and listening at Porto's Parque da Cidade, on 7 August at 8.15pm, part of the 'Noites de Morcegos' programme taking place across ten of the city's green spaces. Registration opens on 29 July at 9pm.
Duration: 8 & 9 August 2026 Schedule: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM Location: Sintra - Anços Investment: €135.30 This two-day practical workshop offers an immersion into the world of aromatic and medicinal plants, combining permaculture principles with the ancestral art of distillation. On the first day, guided by Sílvia Floresta, we will build together a Mediterranean garden of aromatic and medicinal plants, designed with a functional and regenerative focus. On the second day, with Beatriz Pisa and João Salg…
Using recyclable materials, give free rein to your creativity and build a little mouse out of cork stoppers. Afterwards, visit the exhibition A Cortiça: Matéria-Prima para as Fábricas da Mundet. Schedule: Sunday, from 10am to 12.30pm. Target audience: families with children.
New projects, openings and stories — a short letter, only when there's something worth sharing.
