The protest walk aims to “immediately stop the serious environmental attack that is being carried out with the construction, licensed by Loulé City Council, in the Foz do Almargem natural park”, next to Trafal beach, says one of the promoters, in a statement.

The document signed by João Eduardo Martins, a university professor, says that the work is being carried out “just a few meters from the beach sand and with the indiscriminate felling of trees”, with the aggravating factor of being “on an eroding cliff that suffers the effects of rising sea water”, he says.

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At issue are the construction of a restaurant, beach support, and a car park, a project that was licensed by Loulé Council before the municipality obtained, in August 2024, and at its request, the classification of Foz do Almargem and Trafal as a local nature reserve.

In March, the municipality guaranteed that the works comply with current urban legislation and that measures were taken to “minimize” the impact of the works, which affect only 1% of the protected area.

The civic group opposing the project launched a petition last month demanding the "immediate suspension of the works", having collected a total of 3,202 signatures by 4pm today.

“The protected area is of great ecological and landscape importance, including sensitive ecosystems, habitats of several protected species and plays a fundamental role in water regulation and biodiversity conservation,” the petition says.