The Administrative and Tax Court of Loulé considered the injunction brought by the People-Animals-Nature (PAN) on the 7th of November to be valid and determined the immediate suspension of the construction work of a new commercial area in the area of Alagoas Brancas, in the municipality de Lagoa, has just announced that party in a statement.
The decision of the Loulé Court implies the immediate notification of all parties in order to immediately suspend the work on the site, which has already resulted, for the PAN, in "serious and irreparable damage to environmental, historical, landscape and identity values, protected by the law in force, as well as in terms of biodiversity, which also constitutes damage to nature».
Alongside this action, the PAN also formalized a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office on 31 October, requesting the latter to act in defense of diffuse interests, as provided for in the legislation in force.
At stake, according to the PAN, is “the preservation of what is one of the only wetlands in the Algarve, whose destruction began two weeks ago after the Lagoa City Council gave the green light to a project without an alternative location being sought.” for the construction of the commercial enterprise, an environmental impact assessment has been carried out or the impact of the works on the existing biodiversity on the site has not been taken care of, not only the birds, but a series of other species, including the terrapin striatum, a protected species and without any chance of escape from the intervention of the machines'.
"It was with emotion that we received the notification of the court's approval of the request to file an injunction", said Inês de Sousa Real, spokesperson for the PAN.
«It has been with deep sadness that we have observed the progressive destruction of the area that serves as a refuge for hundreds of birds, many with protection status under the Habitats Directive, and of other species such as the striped-shelled tortoise, in a vulnerable situation, without that the City Council or other competent government entities have mobilized to stop what is, in our view, an environmental crime», added the PAN leader.
«We do not accept, nor are we able to understand, the position of the executive of the municipality of Lagoa, which is completely at odds with those that are the concerns of a XNUMXst century society that is struggling against the impact of climate change and how a loss of biodiversity unprecedented scale as a consequence of human action. It is not enough to proclaim to the international community that we are concerned, it is necessary to show that this is a real and consequential concern and that, therefore, we do not condone projects that are aimed at further destruction of the natural legacy of which we are mere usufructuaries», stresses Ines de Sousa Real.
«For our part, we will not give up and we will do everything in the name of the conservation of Alagoas Brancas», the PAN spokeswoman also underlined.
According to a study carried out in 2019, financed by the Environmental Fund, 114 species of birds were identified in Alagoas Brancas alone, highlighting the presence of at least 1% of the national caiman-breeding population in this location (porphyry porphyry) and 1% of the regional population (Mediterranean, Black Sea and West Africa) of Ibis Preta (Plegadis falcinellus).
There are also species with unfavorable conservation status at the site, such as the streaked-shelled tortoise classified as "Endangered" and the Gecko gecko classified as "Vulnerable", which are being buried alive as a result of earthworks. in progress on site.
Comments