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A Rocha International Portugal home Visitors' Day Ria de Alvor a Natura 2000 Site Alvor study site Monchique study site Why the Algarve? Committee and Team Research News Contact |
| Portugal homeVisitors' Day Ria de Alvor a Natura 2000 Site Alvor study siteMonchique study siteWhy the Algarve?Committee and TeamResearchNewsContact |
Press Release: Official confirmation that the Ria de Alvor is now a Natura 2000 Site*** The following is a press release made by A Rocha Portugal on the 28th September 2006 confirming that the Ria de Alvor is now officially a Natura 2000 Site. Finally!!The Alvor Estuary receives official status as a Natura 2000 Site. A Rocha Portugal is delighted to draw attention to the recent news that the Alvor Estuary now has legal status as a protected area. This entered the Statute Book on 21 September, when the Alvor Estuary was declared a Natura 2000 site according to the official journal of the Parliament of the European Union. It is important to note that this is in fact the area’s first ever legal protection. Suffice to say that what Europe succeeded in doing in just over 10 years, the Portuguese authorities still have not managed to do. This new designation just confirms what we already knew – that the Alvor Estuary is a really valuable place. It is a victory for all the scientists who have worked so hard to document and prove the rich biodiversity of the area. It is for this reason that the Alvor Estuary is so precious!  The Ria de Alvor At the same time this mark of quality is something which should make everyone who lives nearby very proud, as it translates directly into quality of life from which all local people benefit: less noise, disturbance and pollution, less sickness and stress, more natural beauty and (unlike the vast majority of the Algarve) a greater prospect of sustainable, appropriate development. The local City Councils are also to be congratulated, for with this designation comes the possibility of additional European financial support to make this a positive environmentally managed area which would contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the Alvor Estuary’s natural richness, in its turn guaranteeing economic development and the wellbeing of all the human population who depend on it. A Rocha Portugal has been undertaking scientific study and environmental education at the Alvor Estuary for more than 20 years, and is willing to collaborate with any organisation who shares the aim of seeing the Natura 2000 objectives fulfilled. For more information please contact Marcial Felgueiras; |
