Latest news and stories about nature conservation in Portugal for expats and residents.
The cycling race Volta a Portugal passes through the Gerês region, sparking debate over the balance between environmental protection and the promotion of tourism and sporting events.
The LPN praised the ICNF's performance during the Volta a Portugal cycling race's passage through Gerês, but advocated for strengthening the agency's resources and intervention capacity in nature conservation.
Restoring means ceasing to treat nature merely as a cost and recognizing it as an investment in the territory's future capacity. It also means recovering relationships with places. Opinion by Mário Carmo
“Even if you put up fences, they break through everything.” Landowners report a risk, but according to the ICNF, there are no problems. Even so, they will meet with landowners in the Sintra hills.
An informal group of activists and associations such as Quercus are contesting the route of the 87th Volta through an area classified by UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
The regional director of the ICNF for the North argued that “everything went well” during the passage of the Volta a Portugal cycling race through the protected area of the Peneda-Gerês National Park.
The organizers expressed satisfaction with the stage of the cycling race that took place in the Gerês region.
The environmental association Quercus opposes the Volta a Portugal cycling race in the Gerês region, while the association ZERO expresses satisfaction with the strict conditions imposed on the event.
Environmental groups are opposing the cycling race route through the Mata de Albergaria, citing its ecological value, while the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) argues the event helps promote the national park.
Quercus has challenged the Institute for Nature Conservation's authorisation for the Volta a Portugal cycling race to pass through the Mata de Albergaria in Gerês, warning of environmental impacts and a “serious precedent”.
The environmental organisation Quercus opposes the Volta a Portugal cycling race route through the Gerês National Park, citing concerns over potential environmental damage and the setting of a negative precedent for protected areas.
Quercus today contested the authorization from the Institute for Nature Conservation for the Volta a Portugal cycling race to pass through the Mata de Albergaria in Gerês, warning that the conditions imposed do not negate the environmental impacts and create “a serious precedent”.
Environmental groups are requesting that the Volta a Portugal cycling race route be diverted away from the protected Mata de Albergaria forest area.
The environmental association Quercus argues that the Mata de Albergaria is “no place” for the cycling race to pass through and is calling for a route change, stating that conservation of one of the most sensitive areas of Portugal's only National Park must take precedence over sporting events. The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) has authorised the race's passage on Thursday, subject to strict biodiversity protection measures, such as banning public access. Quercus warns that these restrictions do not address the fundamental issue of holding a large-scale national competition in such an ecologically sensitive area, and fears the decision sets a dangerous precedent for future events in protected zones.
The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) has increased monitoring efforts in the Montesinho Natural Park, located in Bragança.
Authorities have initiated 29 legal proceedings in Portugal regarding the illegal destruction of swallow nests.
André Silva and Gabri Veiga scored the goals for the Porto team. Furthermore, the Minister of Internal Administration says that the warnings and remarks from the President of the Republic are alerts to reflect upon.
The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) has restricted the route of the Volta a Portugal cycling race through the Mata de Albergaria due to new environmental regulations.
The approved projects span from the north to the south of the country, promoting nature conservation and local development. They cover some of the most iconic national natural territories.
The Azores Protected Areas Network includes 124 protected areas across the nine island natural parks, covering about a quarter of the archipelago's land territory.
A debate has emerged regarding the route of the cycling race, with critics arguing that the stage through the Gerês region was inappropriate.
The Volta a Portugal organization guarantees “maximum respect” for the Mata da Albergaria, “a unique Portuguese forest,” following criticism from environmentalists, defending cycling as environmentally friendly.
The environmental association Zero expresses approval for the restrictions applied to the seventh stage of the cycling race.
The ICNF imposed restrictions on the 7th stage of the race on August 13th, including a ban on the public in the Mata da Albergaria. Zero states that the measures “adequately respond” to their concerns.
The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) has granted permission for the cycling race stage to take place in the Gerês region, subject to specific environmental and safety requirements.
The intervention aimed to reconcile growing tourist demand with the conservation of protected habitats and species in the area within the São Miguel Island Natural Park.
A coalition of seven environmental protection organisations warned today that Portugal remains without a specific legal framework to effectively protect native oak forests and demanded specific legislation.
An environmental group is protesting against the decision to have the Volta a Portugal cycling race pass through the protected Mata de Albergaria forest in the Gerês National Park.
Fapas states that, “after numerous atrocities committed and attempted, this activity was the missing piece,” noting that it is “subject to the opinion of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.”
