Alagoas Brancas
| Alagoas Brancas | |
|---|---|
  Alagoas Brancas | |
| Location | Lagoa, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 37°07′43″N 8°27′09″W / 37.128606°N 8.452458°W |
| Type | seasonal wetland |
| Basin countries | Portugal |
| Surface area | 0.084 km2 (0.032 sq mi) |
| Settlements | Lagoa, Portugal |
| Website | https://alagoasbrancas.com |
Alagoas Brancas (lit. 'White Lakes') is a small seasonal wetland near the city of Lagoa in the Algarve, Portugal. The name makes reference to the large masses of white Ranunculus flowers that can be seen at the surface in spring.[1][2] The area is popular with birdwatchers.[1][3]
Geology
[edit]Alagoas Brancas is part of an alluvial depression that extends northeast to the rice paddies of Quinta da Vala in the Silves municipality. The depression cuts through calcareous rock (limestone, calcarenite) and may have originally through the collapse of several smaller karstic depressions.[2] Alagoas Brancas occupies a low point within the depression, and as a result becomes filled with water between winter and spring, and dries up in summer as the underground water levels drop.[2]
Conservation
[edit]Alagoas Brancas are the last remaining remnant of the large wetland after which the city of Lagoa (lit. 'Lake, pond') is named.[2] Most of the area has been converted into an industrial area during the 20th century, and the existing fragment was scheduled for construction in 2020 to build a retail park.[2][4] Initial excavations faced public outcry and prostet by different environmental organisations and Movimento Salvar as Alagoas Brancas, an environmental movement of local residents, who launched a public petition.[5] After public pressure, legal action,[6] and the discovery of rare aquatic plant communities,[7] the construction project was cancelled in 2023, and the area was purchased by the Lagoa municipality in 2024, supported with the environmental funds from the Portuguese Government.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Alagoas Brancas". birdingplaces.eu.
- ^ a b c d e Mendes, F.; Leitão, D.; Teodósio, J., eds. (April 2019). Projeto Valorização das Zonas Húmidas do Algarve - Alagoas Brancas. Almargem.
- ^ Temmer, M. (2019). "Alagoas Brancas". Bird of Algarve/Vögel der Algarve (2nd ed.). Lagoa, Portugal: Editurismo. p. 25.
- ^ Ferreira, Nicolau; Vidal, Guillermo (30 December 2022). "Alagoas Brancas: quando a vida pode ser substituída por um retail park". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ "Grupo de cidadãos em defesa das Alagoas Brancas lança petição e organiza manifestação para salvar aquela zona húmida". Postal do Algarve (in Portuguese). Expresso. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ "Tribunal de Loulé aceita providência cautelar para suspender obras nas Alagoas Brancas". Sul Informação (in Portuguese). 10 November 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Sequeira, I. (30 June 2023). "Encontradas várias plantas raras e ameaçadas nas Alagoas Brancas, no Algarve". Wilder (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ Ferreira, N. (23 December 2023). "Em vez de retail park, Alagoas Brancas vai tornar-se um "parque urbano natural"". Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 December 2024.
