The appearance of dead fish, crabs and birds in the Alcantarilha stream in Silves led a group of environmental associations to demand the urgent creation of the Salgados Lagoon Natural Reserve. Among the dead birds found were protected species such as spoonbills, black ibis, herons and ducks. The organizations link the occurrence to low oxygen levels in the water and high temperatures.
The associations warn that, without the natural reserve status, Salgados Lagoon will remain unprotected. The group criticizes that current management has been limited to piecemeal interventions to resolve emergencies, advocating the need for a change in approach focused on prevention and proactive management.
The proposed area for the reserve is over 400 hectares and extends from the Alcantarilha stream in the municipality of Silves to Salgados Lagoon at the Espiche stream in the municipality of Albufeira. The project was under public consultation between December 2021 and January 2022, receiving more than 800 contributions. The organizations regret that the classification was promised four years ago and has yet to be implemented.
The associations acknowledge that the classification would not be sufficient to avoid all problems, but argue that it would provide instruments to anticipate risks and monitor the state of ecosystems. The appeal is signed by nine organizations, including A Rocha, Almargem, WWF Portugal, Liga para a Proteção da Natureza, Quercus and ZERO.
