Profiling Portugal - the Ria de Alvor

For more in-depth information about the Ria de Alvor, including what you can do to help, see our website: riadealvor.org

General description

The Ria de Alvor is one of the most significant coastal wetlands in southern Portugal. The mixture of habitats to be found, including sand dunes, mud flats, salt and freshwater marshes and salinas, allows it to support a huge variety of plants and animals, some of which are important on a European scale. The area comprises a headland and surrounding wetlands that are bordered on either side by the Arade and Alvor Rivers, which become the Alvor estuary and is protected from the sea by two sand dune bars that guard the mouth of the Ria de Alvor. Due to the wildlife value of the wetlands the site was designated as a RAMSAR site in May 1996.

Importance for conservation

The Ria de Alvor is one of the Natura 2000 network of sites. This European designation is due to the important habitats (such as coastal lagoons and sand dunes) and species (such as the Camphor Thyme Thymus camphoratus) to be found in the area. A huge variety of birds are also present, including each year thousands of migrating waders, for whom the area provides a vital stopover point. The wetlands are also a breeding ground for many birds such as the iconic Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus and the declining Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus. The headland of the Quinta da Rocha contains valuable scrub and extensive farmland, which provides excellent habitat for passerines, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, like the endangered Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum.

Conservation concerns

By far the most significant threat to the area is that of building development. A Rocha has been fighting this possibility since its arrival over 20 years ago, and the battle is still ongoing. In 2005 the ownership of the Quinta da Rocha, which includes the majority of the wetlands, changed hands. The new owners are seeking to develop the area and have already undertaken the destruction of some key habitats. The full intentions of the developer are not yet known but some positive statements have been made by relevant Ria de Alvor stakeholders that the area should retain its wildlife values. Other threats include disturbance of birds, particularly those breeding on the dunes, and other animals by visitors, pollution, agricultural abandonment and invasive species.

Achievements to date

A Rocha has been carrying out research and monitoring on site for over 20 years. It is this detailed work that revealed the importance of the site on a European scale, and hence its inclusion in the Natura 2000 network. To maintain and enhance the ecosystems of the area an ecological management plan has been implemented. The plan pays particular attention to the threatened and sensitive species on the site. Alongside this has been the implementation of an environmental education programme which currently sees over 2000 people from a variety of educational groups and schools visit the A Rocha field centre each year.

Vision for the future

A Rocha continues to work towards a day when the protection of the area from development is guaranteed. To aid this process A Rocha Portugal is proposing strategic development plans for the sustainable management of the Ria de Alvor. These plans aim to see a more natural and dynamic coastal system supporting sustainable harvest of fish and shellfish by the local community alongside nature conservation and ecotourism.