“Algarve reef – Pedra do Valado: a hidden treasure to protect” was the theme of the informative and participatory public session held on the 26th of May, at Lota, in Armação de Pêra, on the occasion of the 24th Caldeirada Festival and of the Sea.
The initiative was attended by Rosa Palma, mayor of Silves, and with the participation, as speakers, of Maxime Sousa Bispo, councilor, Manuel João Prudêncio, president of the Association of Fishermen of Armação de Pêra, as well as Jorge Gonçalves , Bárbara Horta e Costa and Mafalda Rangel, researchers at the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMar) at the University of Algarve.
The Câmara de Silves recalls that «united by a common interest, the Centro de Ciências do Mar, the Oceano Azul Foundation and the Municipalities of Silves, Albufeira and Lagoa promoted and dynamised, together with 76 entities, a unique, collective construction process innovation that led to the presentation of a proposal for the creation of the first Protected Marine Area of Community Interest (AMPIC): the Marine Natural Park Recife do Algarve – Pedra do Valado».
It is the largest coastal rocky reef at low depth in Portugal, benefiting from unique natural conditions and supporting a unique marine biodiversity, with many species of commercial interest and of interest for conservation.
Pioneering studies of habitat mapping and marine biodiversity identified this area as one of the richest in terms of biodiversity, with around 905 species, equivalent to 70% of the entire Algarve marine coastline.
The uniqueness of this area is further reinforced by the discovery of 45 new records for Portugal and, above all, 12 new species for science.
«Pedra do Valado is, like Recife in the Algarve, a hidden treasure that is important to know, protect and value», concludes Câmara de Silves.
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