The municipalities of Portimão and Lagos will mark World Wetlands Day on Monday (February 2) by signing a letter of intent aimed at reactivating the Association of Municipalities of the Alvor Estuary (Associação de Municípios da Ria de Alvor).
The signing ceremony will take place at the former Alvor fish market (Antiga Lota de Alvor) at 11.30am, with the mayors of both municipalities in attendance.
Created on February 2, 2005, the association was designed as a cooperation platform between Lagos and Portimão, with the goal of protecting the estuary, while promoting its sustainable use, ecological conservation and economic and cultural development.
However, a series of setbacks led to the suspension of the association’s activities.
Portimão and Lagos now say they share a common strategic vision for the future of the Ria de Alvor, identifying the resumption of joint management of this natural heritage as a priority.
The letter of intent “sets out the foundations for a new cycle of cooperation, focused on integrated and sustainable management, environmental and cultural enhancement of the Ria, responsible coordination of different land uses, strengthened scientific knowledge, and the creation of conservation and environmental protection tools.”
With the signing of this document, the mayors of Lagos and Portimão say in a joint statement that they “reaffirm a clear and shared commitment to reviving the association and to safeguarding one of the Algarve’s most important wetland ecosystems.”
