By: DAISY SAMPSON
daisy.sampson@the-resident.com
AN AREA of the Algarve protected by environmental laws has been destroyed by developers according to environmental groups who are now leading court action and calls for the land to be restored to its former state.
Ria de Alvor estuary is an area protected by the highest of environmental laws because of its natural beauty, scientific importance and the habitats it contains.
The land in the area has been purchased by Imoholding construction and real estate group, who are developing the site under the name of Quinta da Rocha.
The land is protected by the parliament of the European Union and entered the statute book on September 21, 2006 as a Natura 2000 site and because of this the biodiversity of the area, its wildlife and the habitats in the area are protected from destruction by European law.
It is alleged by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that the Ria de Alvor estuary has had habitats destroyed by Imoholding in their development of the land for housing.
Total destruction
NGOs have taken it upon themselves to file for prosecution of the Quinta da Rocha development in a bid to force the developers to return the land to its former natural state at whatever cost.
The case against the developers centres on the destruction of species and habitats.
“The complete destruction of a protected marshland and the selective removal of bio indicators in a protected area” announced A Rocha, the NGO coordinating the court action against Quinta da Rocha.
“In the past, all that has happened to the developers is that they have been given small fines that are insignificant when compared to the profits they can make on the development of the land,” said a spokesman for A Rocha.
A number of environmental NGOs are supporting the court action being taken to Loulé fiscal court, including SPEA, a bird protection organisation in Portugal, LPN, the league for the protection of nature, and Almargem, a group dedicated to protecting the culture and environment of the Algarve.
It is claimed by SPEA that the owners of Quinta da Rocha have flouted protection orders resulting in “enormous environmental damage to the area.”
Miguel Portas, MEP supports the preservation order placed on the area and hopes to be able to “establish the whole truth and possible responsibilities involving the Quinta da Rocha development on the Ria de Alvor estuary,” by participating in dialogues with “environmental groups and local political leaders about the case”.
Laws ignored
The area in question has been described by Miguel Portas as being the focus of “dubious speculative operations, projects and urban development in an environmentally protected area,” specifically by the Quinta da Rocha project.
The latest court action is hoped to prevent any further destruction of the estuary and also deter others from considering similar action and ignoring environmental laws.
“It is necessary that the courts begin to apply the only solution prescribed by law to stop this trend and implement the restoration of habitats that have been destroyed,” said A Rocha.
When contacted by The Resident, a spokesman for the Imoholding group said: “I am not able to comment on the Quinta da Rocha development or the court case.”
Imoholding continue to advertise the development on the Ria de Alvor estuary and describe the status of the project as being at a “conceptual stage” on its website.
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