Lagoa mayor Luís Encarnação has admitted his astonishment regarding a petition to ‘save Alagoas Brancas’, a local wetland, which was discussed in Parliament on Friday – and even led to the approval of several initiatives calling for its protection.
According to the mayor, the petition is “completely unnecessary”.
“There is no need for it because Alagoas Brancas is already saved! The land is classified as rustic and no construction is allowed there. The only thing that will be created at Alagoas Brancas is the planned Biopark,” Encarnação told The Resident.
“I’m sure our MPs have better things to do than to be discussing this, namely solving the many other issues that need to be addressed in the Algarve,” the mayor said.
While he admitted that the park’s creation is behind the original schedule, the mayor insists that citizens and environmentalists have nothing to fear.
“The head of our Environmental Division, José Vieira, has been tasked with incorporating the instructions we have received from the ICNF (nature and conservation institute),” he said, adding that the council is fully welcoming of any suggestions made by environmental authorities and associations.
The council is now working on proposing a new timetable for the project to the Environmental Fund, with the goal being to have the project approved soon so that the biopark can finally begin moving forward.
“All we want is to create the most consensual project possible, so that we can open up Alagoas Brancas to anyone who wants to visit it, while maintaining it as an important conservation space,” Encarnação said.
Despite not wanting to commit to a date, the mayor said that he hopes the biopark will be completed by the end of this term – in other words, by 2029.
