Until August 17, the classification proposal and the draft regulation of the Foz do Almargem and Trafal Local Nature Reserve will be under public discussion, announced the Loulé Chamber, which is the entity promoting the process.
The documents related to the process are available for consultation online on the Municipality page, as well as on the Participate portal, by clicking here
At the same time, the public discussion of the Draft Regulation of the future Local Natural Reserve is also taking place, and the documents can be accessed by clicking here (Municipal Regulation).
The municipality, which emphasizes that this is one of its actions "with a view to preserving the biodiversity of its territory", recalls that "the process started in May 2021 and now culminates with this consultation of the population and all interested parties».
The future Reserve covers an area of about 135 hectares, located in the parish of Quarteira, crossed by two streams, the Fonte Santa or Almargem stream and the Carcavai stream, and constitutes one of the important wetlands in the Algarve.
The natural wealth (home to at least 214 species of autochthonous flora, 9 natural habitats and more than 235 species of fauna) makes this area of special importance for the balance of the ecosystem, which is why Loulé City Council decided to "take on in this area within the framework of its environmental policy and adaptation to climate change".
On the other hand, “considering that this is a very desirable area from an urban point of view, municipal officials believe that this Reserve will put a brake on unregulated real estate growth, safeguarding this sensitive area from an environmental point of view”, adds the municipality.
In addition to online participation, the documents can be consulted in person, between 9 am and 00 pm, at the Paços do Concelho building, in Loulé, and at the Quarteira Municipal Center.
During this period, interested parties may submit their observations and suggestions directly on the Participa Portal, or by emailing [email protected] or by postal mail addressed to the Mayor of Loulé or in an appropriate document at the aforementioned locations.
The Municipality of Loulé contributes in this way to the objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity which, in conjunction with the United Nations and UNESCO, proposes to protect the Planet, expanding the extent of protected areas, which currently represent only 15% of the surface of the Globe, to 30% by the year 2030.
The creation of Local Natural Reserve of Foz do Almargem and Trafal come on follow-up of the suspension of the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) which the Loulé Council carried out in March 2019 and which prevented the creation of a tourist development in that area: Quinta do Oceano, whose promoter was the Special Closed Real Estate Investment Fund — Invesfundo VII, of the Novo Banco group.In the same year, the Almargem Association began a study on the two zones (Foz do Almargem and Trafal) which serves as «technical and scientific support for characterizing the richness of biodiversity» in these places.
According to this report, these are areas “extremely rich in wildlife, particularly in species with high protection statuses”.
In total, 137 species were identified, «with emphasis on wintering and migratory water birds, which bring together high concentrations of individuals in periods of wintering emigration, highlighting the following priority species: common duck (Aythya fierce), beaded (strepera marc) red-billed duck (Net rufina), caiman (porphyry porphyry) and Audouin's gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii). "
Added to this is the very strong presence of insects, among which «three Iberian beetles endemisms: the species Pterostichus ebenus, the subspecies Carabus rugosus celtibericus and the subspecies Licinus punctatulus granulatus and the high probability of occurrence of the butterfly Melitaea aetherie, one of the most endangered species of butterflies in Portugal and the pointed-eyed mantis (apteromantis aptera).
Also according to the study mentioned above, "this area is of great value as a breeding area for dragonflies and damselflies in the Algarve".
It was based on all of this that the City Council of Loulé decided that these areas deserved to be preserved.
Comments