A petition calling for the protection of the Alagoas Brancas wetland in Lagoa will be debated in Portugal’s Parliament on March 6 at 10am.
The petition, titled “Save the Alagoas Brancas Wetland,” was submitted by the local movement of the same name, which has been fighting to protect the wetland since 2017.
According to the movement, recent heavy rains have yet again shown the importance of the site, with Alagoas Brancas helping to hold back floodwaters in Lagoa and reduce risks to people and property.
As Save Alagoas Brancas points out, the wetland is home to upward of 300 recorded species of fauna and flora, including rare and critically endangered species in Portugal.
After years of opposition to plans for a commercial retail park on the site, authorities announced the area would instead be renaturalised and turned into the Lagoa City Natural Park.
In December 2023, the Ministry of Environment formally recognised the ecological importance of the ecosystem through Order No. 13176-A/2023, published in the state’s official gazette. The decision allowed funding from the Fundo Ambiental (Environmental Fund) to be used for the purchase of the land by the municipality of Lagoa, in a deal worth €3.7 million.
However, the movement says the protocol is now at risk of non-compliance and expiry, alleging that the municipality has failed to carry out scheduled steps.
It also claims that a proposal presented in the summer of 2024 did not include input from specialists and was rejected by the Institute of Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF).
According to the campaigners, no working group or monitoring committee has yet been set up for the project.
The petition also argues that the municipality must ensure the classification and protection of Alagoas Brancas by amending planning instruments and declaring the ecosystem a locally protected area.
It also calls for the reversal of the subdivision process and changes to the Urbanisation Plan for UP3 in Lagoa.
The campaigners add that a court case related to safeguarding the wetland is still ongoing.
