It's called Cidade Lacustre and it's a mega development, covering 57,4 hectares, with residences, tourist beds, restaurants and up to four lake areas. All this in Vilamoura, in an environmentally sensitive area. Until Monday 9th of September, the period of public participation of citizens, but only referring to the urbanization part, since the lakes have already been approved. THE Almargem association is against and is considering filing a complaint with the European Union. And there's even a movement of citizens against Cidade Lacustre.
"A project like this is an attack and a replication of past mistakes," says Anabela Santos, leader of this association, in an interview with Sul Informação.
“It is not clear how, in 2019, we still want to do projects of this type. It's another megalomaniac venture, in an area where it doesn't make any sense. Right now that the issue of climate change is so on the table», he accused.
However, in the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) itself, it is recognized that the project, estimated at 670 million euros, will be born in an «area classified as sensitive»: in the hydrographic basin of the Ribeira de Quarteira and near the Roman Ruins of Cerro da Village.
In archaeological terms, the EIA guarantees that Cerro da Vila “will not suffer any intervention”. Furthermore, it reveals that an Archaeological Reserve Area will be created in an area, prohibited to the construction of subdivisions, where remains were found.
But the main wealth is not the archaeological one. The terrain also has “a diversity of flora and high vegetation”. Despite this, it is even planned to build a subdivision in an IBA - Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (Important Area for Birds and Biodiversity, in Portuguese).
Just as an example, there are nine species of birds classified as vulnerable in this area (waitress, beaded, maroon eagle, gray harrier, peregrine falcon, shrimp, caraway, sea partridge and rock curlew ) and four classified as endangered (bream, red heron, osprey and hunting eagle).
This entire project is not new and has already been repudiated by Almargem and the main national environmental associations in the past, right at the time of its announcement.
In 2008, Cidade Lacustre was considered a Project of Potential National Interest (PIN): a special condition for large investments that give them the chance of not complying with planning instruments, such as the National Agricultural Reserve (RAN) and the National Ecological Reserve (REN). After 10 years, in 2018, the PIN was renewed.
But all this has another peculiarity. The “Cidade Lacustre”, as explained before, foresees the construction of urbanizations, but also of four lakes and salt water channels. But the projects, which have a “natural connection”, as recognized in the EIA, were presented separately, as if they had nothing to do with each other.
In such a way that the construction of the lakes already had a favorable Environmental Impact Statement conditional in 2009. Later, in 2017, the Environmental Compliance Decision of the Execution Project was also disclosed. The verdict? Conditioned favorable, such as DIA.
Anabela Santos cannot understand the reason for this "dismemberment". "The impact has to be measured together, of course," he accused.
In the case of lakes, the biologist has no doubts that they are harmful. «We are going to have the entire reedbed in Vilamoura destroyed. We are going to build artificial lakes with salt water but with fresh water aquifers underneath. There is always the risk of contamination and salinization,” he said.
These are the lakes that will serve the six zones of Cidade Lacustre: the Vila (area more for residences, with commerce, services and restaurants), the Island (heart of the city for tourism), the Bay (of a more familiar residential character) , the Dune (mixed use – residential and tourist), the Oasis (for tourism) and the Belvedere (only residential).
In total, 74 lots will be built. These values are associated with the construction of 834 accommodation units and 1150 new dwellings, allowing for the provision of 2506 tourist beds.
But Anabela Santos asks: «do we need another project in that area?».
“We're just going to increase human pressure. There are already projections of the sea's advance and this area is critical because it is close to Praia da Falésia. How can we not take care of this? We heard the speech in relation to climate change, but there are actions that do not seem to be in line with that speech," he shot.
This entire project will involve changing the landscape, increasing water consumption, destroying the soil, increasing noise levels and occupying an area of high biodiversity.
In an attempt to mitigate possible floods, not only from lakes but also from urban areas, the project foresees that a dam will be built along the left bank of the Ribeira de Quarteira.
According to the Environmental Impact Study, the dyke area will also allow for «diversified use, translated into a pedestrian, jogging, cycling path, with resting areas for passive recreation and contemplation».
«From the point of view of the plant environment, the use of rainfed vegetation is privileged, with lower water requirements», he also guarantees.
For Anabela Santos, the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) may also have a say here. “We wanted the ICNF to have here a coherence in its functions: it should prevent conservation. We cannot make a clean sheet if there is a statute of protection for such an IBA," he accused.
It is true that it is not only from Almargem that criticism has arisen. On Facebook, there is already a movement entitled “Pela Ribeira de Quarteira – Against the Lake City” that has hundreds of members.
«The “Cidade Lacustre” or “Vilamoura Lakes” is an environmental attack and a fierce attack on the sustainability of the Algarve region. It is not possible to allow a project thought to the reality of 1999 to move forward in 2019 (based on obsolete plans created in a hurry to escape the ban on construction along the coastline), on a planet on the brink of environmental and social collapse, with the climate emergency , the destruction of biodiversity and habitats is the order of the day», says the movement, in a statement sent to Sul Informação.
The movement goes further and considers that «the project is not in accordance with the Municipal Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (EMAAC) of Loulé».
Anabela Santos, in turn, still has some hope of a possible municipal decision. “We want to believe that the Loulé Council will also make a statement, in line with what it has done. We would like the president to have courage on this issue as well, as he demonstrated in the two recent suspensions of the PDM in Quarteira", said.
For now, it remains for civil society to pronounce on the project. Anyone who is against it can give their opinion.
After evaluation, the Algarve's Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) will issue the Environmental Impact Statement, it is not yet known in what direction.
Nearby, on the other side of the Ribeira de Quarteira, for reasons similar to those now invoked by the contestants, the project Sunset Albufeira Sport & Health Resort it was even failed, but Anabela Santos doubts that this will happen in this case.
“Only if there is a lot of participation on the part of people, during this period, in order to create pressure. If there is a large participation, I believe you can take this into account. We would like the entities to take a strong decision here», concluded the director of Almargem.
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