The MPT Partido da Terra denounced to the Presidency of the Republic the «attempted assassination of Lagoa dos Salgados and commercial privatization of Praia Grande», in Silves.
In a public communiqué, which was also sent to the President of the Republic and the ministers of Economy and Environment, the MPT/Algarve denounced «an attempt to progressively liquidate the greatest biodiversity treasure of the parish of Pêra, namely in Lagoa dos Salgados and Praia Grande, with the objective of carrying forward the concrete works of that site in favor of a major operation of real estate speculation, and with the connivance and complicity of the Portuguese Public Administration».
A mega-enterprise in Praia Grande, next to Lagoa dos Salgados, and led by Galilei/Finalgarve Group, was publicly announced on June 22, officially forecasting a global investment of 232 million euros.
The project was announced as foreseeing the construction of three hotel units, five tourist villages, commercial spaces and an 18-hole golf course. The investment should advance to land in 2013, on the west bank of Lagoa dos Salgados.
On the other side of this wetland, sought after by tourists of all nationalities for being one of the most popular birdwatching spots in the Algarve, is another mega-development: the resort of Herdade dos Salgados, on the brink of bankruptcy, and where the signs of decay are visible in the state of dozens and dozens of palm trees planted and now almost dry.
Considering Lagoa dos Salgados as «the only unconcreted natural refuge on the Algarve coast under the POOC Burgau-Vilamoura», the MPT stresses that «the local importance triggers the revolt of Armacenenses, Perenses and all those who cherish that place, who accumulate unanswered complaints and accusations of abuse, sewage discharges into the Alcantarilha river, chemical pollution from the golf course of the mega-development Herdade dos Salgados, all terrain practice, illegal openings of the dune cordon, misuse of pond water for golf irrigation, etc".
In a statement signed by Paulo Rosário Dias, regional coordinator of the MPT, this party also underlines the information contained on the website of the Galilei group, which promotes the mega-enterprise of Praia Grande, and which says that “this future luxury resort extends to along 3 km of private beaches».
"It is with this intentional and enlightening abusive advertising that the Galilei promoter group, a financial group linked to the BPN scandal and chaired by the current Grand Master of the Grande Oriente Lusitano (“exclusively at the service of the Freemasons” – Inauguration speech in 2011), publicly congratulates the recent signing of an “urban development contract” with the Municipality of Silves», stresses the MPT/Algarve.
It is the «same Chamber that expressly provides in the so-called “Strategic Plan for the Development of Silves”, elaborated and advertised on the eve of the last municipal elections, the bet on sustainable and nature tourism, and points out the restriction of construction in areas of greater natural susceptibility to floods and floods, and that now, in exchange for direct revenue, allows the annihilation of its greatest treasure of biodiversity…»
Paulo Rosário Dias adds that “this attempt at environmental assassination would not be possible without the connivance of the ARH itself and the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, which paradoxically publicly recognizes the site as a “sensitive coastal area”, with an “important role from a landscape, recreational and ecological point of view” and a priority conservation enshrined in European directives”.
The MPT denounces that «the abuse and conscious degradation of the site is increasingly evident», «local and regional authorities do not exist or do not act effectively in accordance with their attributions» and «the Algarve region is far more important than any shareholder interest'.
For all these reasons, MPT/Algarve «subscribes to existing petition online» addressed to the Minister of the Environment, who at this moment already has more than XNUMX signatures, and «expresses its formal support for the work of SPEA, of LPNs and Almargem, NGOs interested in defending compliance with the various legal provisions and community directives that aim to protect that unique landscape».
On the other hand, the MPT/Algarve «alerts and sensitizes the Major Authorities of the State to the resistance to the pressures of the financial/real estate lobby, hoping to arouse institutional interest in acting to restore and safeguard the integrity of their territory, in the interest of local populations , the desired environmental health of the place and the value of the associated tourist product'.
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