Fire, water stress and contested energy plans exposed a common problem this week: intervention often comes after damage, or stalls before it begins. Serra da Estrela is still waiting for promised investment, while Tondela prepares burnt ground for rain. Elsewhere, cattle are reducing fuel loads, residents are conserving water and public scrutiny is testing where solar infrastructure should go.
Central Portugal shows the cost of delay after fire. Serra da Estrela still awaits most promised recovery funding, while Gouveia tests grazing as prevention and Tondela prepares exposed land to withstand erosion and runoff when rain returns.
The President of the Republic called the revitalisation of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park a promise left unfulfilled for too long, noting that almost none of the 155 million euros announced after the 2022 fire has been invested. Speaking in Guarda, he argued for far more investment in fire prevention and response.
A pilot project by the URZE forestry association introduces extensive grazing with Cachena cattle in the Aljão area of Gouveia, to cut fuel loads and fire risk while supporting biodiversity and the local economy.
Emergency stabilisation works on land burned by July's wildfire should start in Tondela by the end of September, costing around €177,000 and running to June 2027. Based on an ICNF report, they target secondary watercourses, culverts under roads and forest tracks, and fuel management strips, to limit erosion and runoff after vegetation loss. The fire began on 2 July in Vouzela and burned 1,500 hectares in São João do Monte e Mosteirinho.
Renewable power is not automatically low-impact. Alqueva’s abandoned project, warnings about fragmented habitats and 246 contributions on the Mogadouro proposal all show why biodiversity and public scrutiny belong at the start of planning.
EDP has abandoned the 169 million euro Grande Lago hybrid floating solar and wind project at Alqueva, citing rising costs, falling wholesale prices and environmental objections over a transmission line crossing vulture habitat. Only one of the six floating solar projects from the 2022 tender still holds environmental approval.
Rewilding Portugal argues that the energy transition only counts as green if it protects habitats too, warning that large renewable projects can fragment landscapes and sever ecological corridors. It cites the SOPHIA solar project in the Beira Baixa and calls for ecologically grounded spatial planning and stricter impact assessments.
The public consultation on the scoping stage of the Cereiro solar plant's environmental impact study closed with 246 contributions. The project, linked to hybridising the Bemposta hydroelectric plant, foresees 104 MWp across a 532-hectare study area between Mogadouro and Miranda do Douro, plus a new high-voltage line.
Water pressure appears in household supply, river quality and infrastructure. Melgaço is managing unusually early reservoir lows, Oikos found uneven conditions in the Lis basin, and Centro 2030 is offering funding for supply and wastewater improvements.
Melgaço council has warned that public supply risks running short in some parishes. Summer consumption has surged with tourists, returning emigrants, pool filling and garden watering, while climate change lowers groundwater levels: reservoir levels normally seen in September were reached before mid-August. Nightly cuts are being used to find and repair leaks, including illegal unmetered connections known as tubos ladrão, and water is being redistributed between reservoirs.
The environmental association Oikos sampled water on 16 June at 18 points across the Lis River Basin, testing biological and physico-chemical parameters. The results, released on Monday, range from acceptable to worrying. One clear pattern stands out: the stretch of the Lena running through Porto de Mós and Batalha proved less polluted than the stretch that passes through Leiria.
A new call under the Centro 2030 programme will fund investments in the urban water cycle — supply and wastewater treatment — by the region's intermunicipal communities, with an eye to climate adaptation, cutting losses and improving water quality. Applications run until 31 August 2027 via the Balcão dos Fundos.
The map keeps filling in. This week we added 11 projects and 50 events. Sustainable Living now connects 338 projects, 192 upcoming events and 724 people across Portugal.
The Quinta Project is a queer permaculture farm and ecovillage in the São Mamede mountains, growing food, regenerating land, and hosting vol…
AMACO is a Madeiran NGO dedicated to marine conservation, generating scientific knowledge about the archipelago's marine ecosystems and rais…
Lousitânea is a non-profit association based in the schist village of Aigra Nova, Góis, dedicated to conserving and promoting the natural an…
The Urze association is organising a technical visit on Tuesday morning to the site in Gouveia to present the pilot grazing project using Cachena cows for fire prevention.
The Gardens of the Palácio Nacional de Queluz are holding night sessions guided by a biologist to observe bats, as part of the celebrations for International Bat Night. The sessions, lasting around two hours, take place on 21 and 29 August at 7.30pm, with prior registration required.
On 19 August, from 3:00 pm, Biblioteca Diana Bar hosts the Ecological Puppet Workshop "The Magic of Germination". Run by Centro do Clima as part of environmental awareness activities and the promotion of sustainable practices, it is an educational and creative experience accessible to different audiences, involving the making of small ecological puppets from simple materials, such as potatoes and seeds (e.g. chia), which, once watered and exposed to light,…
Nighttime activity in Castro Verde to observe bats using ultrasound detectors and nocturnal insects with a light trap, including learning about pollinators and building insect hotels.
Guided walking tour along Óbidos Lagoon with real-time interpretation of local fauna, flora, biology, geology and oceanography, plus possible interaction with local fishermen and aquascope observations of underwater life. Free registration required.
New projects, openings and stories — a short letter, only when there's something worth sharing.
