A DEBATE took place last Friday (July 20) to discuss climate change in the Baixa Guadiana, the lower part of the river which borders the Algarve and southern Spain.
Possible solutions were discussed to resolve the current situation and themes including population migration away from this area, water resources, property development and the pressures of tourism on the delicate ecosystem were also highlighted.
Following the debate, experts and environmentalists from Spain and Portugal took a boat trip on the river from Mértola to Vila Real de Santo António, where the importance and sustainability of the river was discussed.
A dinner in Vila Real de Santo António followed the boat ride. Solutions to how issues of environmental preservation, population dynamics, and the creation of jobs for the area could function symbiotically were highlighted.
An important aspect to come from the meeting was the proposal to create a trans-frontier natural park in and around the Guadiana River by environmental association En Acción. It believes that a combined and integrated management plan is essential to preserve the natural value and development of the area.
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