The chameleons will be the stars of a new space to be created at Quinta de Marim, the headquarters of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, in Olhão, thanks to a protocol signed on Wednesday, February 2nd, between the Instituto de Conservação of Nature and Forests (ICNF) and the Algarve association Vita Nativa.
The Camaleão Interpretation Center will be created in the former Portuguese water dog kennel, «which has been abandoned for many years. This will be a way to monetize the space and bring more curious people here to the natural park», explained Fábia Azevedo, director of Vita Nativa.
An idea that is reinforced by Castelão Rodrigues, regional director of ICNF, a partner entity of the Chameleon Project since its inception and that will not only give the space to the center, but also collaborate with Vita Nativa «in the exhibition that will be designed for this space».
«This will be another place where our visitors can go. It is a space that is currently degraded and could be enhanced with the creation of the centre, making Quinta de Marim much more appealing to those who come here», said the director of ICNF in the Algarve.
The agreement that was signed will allow for the continuation of the Camaleão Project, one of the winning ideas of the 2019 Young Portugal Participatory Budget, which ended at the end of 2021.
«After a year of work, we felt that we had all the strength to continue. So, this opportunity arose to create here, at Quinta de Marim, a space dedicated to the species, which brings together all the activities related to the chameleon and its habitat», framed Fábia Azevedo.
«And that's what we want: to have a space that welcomes visitors, where environmental awareness is carried out, where schools are brought in, so they can learn about chameleons. We want this to be the flag to be able to preserve all the habitats that the species uses », benefiting the entire ecosystem, he said.
«That is the main objective, to have an exhibition space, but also to raise awareness, and where scientific work, academic work can also be carried out», he added.
The creation of this center was, moreover, one of the initial objectives of the project. “Only, in the first year, we were unable to move forward with the bureaucratic process, not only due to Covid, but also due to the existence of elections – several elections. This whole political conjuncture did not allow for progress with the center».
Apart from that, Projeto Camaleão was a success, hence the desire to prolong it indefinitely.
“We managed to raise awareness, directly, more than 1500 people, despite the pandemic. We carried out face-to-face awareness actions and a citizen science campaign, which is still ongoing and has no end, in which we ask the population, the community, to become scientists and collaborate, sending records of chameleons and observation of specimens of this species. », according to Fábia Azevedo.
The appeal was heard and “700 records were sent by citizens during the past year”, which “allowed us to prove the existence of the species in some locations where they were not yet registered”.
«Scientific studies pointed out that the species was distributed more along the coast, in the dunes. However, we already have many records in the Barrocal and inland areas, for example in São Brás de Alportel, Silves and the Sagres peninsula. All this was science that was produced through the contribution of people, of citizens», highlighted Fábia Azevedo.
In addition to Vita Nativa and ICNF, the Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth (IPDJ), the University of Algarve, the Loulé Chambers, Faro, Olhão, Tavira, Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António, as well as RIAS.
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