The Algarve Reef Marine Nature Park – Pedra do Valado, located off the coast between Albufeira and Lagoa and one of Portugal’s largest and richest coastal reefs, is set to be explored from Thursday to Sunday (October 2 to 5) as part of a major scientific mission aboard the historic Santa Maria Manuela vessel.
The University of the Algarve’s Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) and the Oceano Azul Foundation announced that this will be the first large-scale monitoring campaign of the reef since the reserve’s creation. The mission brings together marine biologists, oceanographers, fisheries experts and technology specialists in a multidisciplinary effort to better understand and protect the fragile ecosystem.
“This expedition continues the work carried out over the last few years and has two main objectives: to generate up-to-date information to guide the next steps in conservation and to provide the community with an efficient and concerted management plan,” the team behind the mission says in a statement.
Pedra do Valado is no ordinary patch of sea. Home to more than 1,000 documented species, it supports traditional fishing, tourism and recreation, with an economic impact of over €48 million a year and more than 1,600 jobs tied to its waters.
Researchers will map habitats such as coral gardens, seagrass meadows, maerl beds and gorgonian forests, using drones, underwater cameras, environmental DNA sampling and state-of-the-art robotic vehicles. They will also track fish, birds and marine mammals to build a complete picture of the reef’s biodiversity.
For the Oceano Azul Foundation, the mission is about turning promises into action. “The Marine Natural Park should not only exist on paper,” said Diana Vieira, head of the Oceano Azul Foundation. “It must generate knowledge, protect biodiversity and guarantee the future of local communities.”
This expedition also has the potential to inspire other marine parks in the country and contribute to strategic goals such as “30×30” (protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030), the National Strategy for the Sea and the European Marine Strategy Directive, according to CCMAR.
The Santa Maria Manuela – the ship which will be used for the expedition – is currently a Portuguese training ship, a four-masted sailing ship. The ship was built in 1937 at the Lisbon Shipyards and was part of the famous White Fleet of cod fishing boats belonging to the Portuguese Fishing Company (CPP). For several decades, it sailed to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and Greenland to fish for cod.
