As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Major Portuguese wetland still under threat from hotel development – Help needed urgently

Environmental Impact Assessment was commissioned by the developers
July 2013. Before tourism came to the Algarve in the 1970's there were several lagoons similar to Salgados along this coastline and they were used as migratory fuelling stops, over-wintering sites and breeding habitat for many bird species, but all the other lagoons have now been "gentrified" out of existence and Salgados is the last one left.

Standing half-way between two of the Algarve's most urbanised areas, Albufeira and Armação de Pera, Salgados has always been under extreme threat and severe pressure for many years but the proposed development of the area surrounding it may well prove to be the last nail in the coffin. 

The area surrounding the Lagoon is pretty well the last intact piece of countryside adjoining the coast and ANY further building nearby will be hugely detrimental to the wildlife that uses the lagoon itself and the area surrounding it. The lagoon is used by thousands of birds on migration, as well as an over-wintering and nesting location, and there are various rare species that use it and that the Portuguese Government is under an obligation to preserve. 

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