Lagoa dos Salgados development halted, for now
January 2013. An on-line petition that has
gathered 21,000 international signatures has stopped a mega-tourist complex
from destroying a unique wetland bird sanctuary in southern Portugal. The bird
sanctuary, Lagoa dos Salgados, has been given a last minute reprieve while an
Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out.
Despite this unique coastal lagoon being of
prime importance to many breeding, over-wintering or passage species and
despite being internationally recognised as a bird watching hotspot that brings
in many hundreds of thousands of tourist dollars every year - as well as being
a study area for schools and universities throughout Europe - it has never had
any official protection, and has been threatened with development throughout
the last 15 years.
Huge hotel complex
This threat was dramatically highlighted six months ago with the grant of building
permission over an area of 247 hectares, (more than 600 acres), bordering
the lagoon. The building permission allowed for a luxury mega-tourist complex
of hotels, resorts, and golf courses that were scheduled to break ground in
April 2013, but the developers had used loop-holes to sidestep regulations and
steam-roller through the permission.
This was enough to galvanize local feeling and
an on-line petition was started by a local bird watching guide, Frank
McClintock, to provide a voice for those opposed to the plan and to highlight
the continuing lack of any protection for the lagoon's unique habitat.
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