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The Montijo airport project is on a collision course with the guidelines of the European Ecological Pact, according to an article that will be published today, September 17, in the journal ‘Science’.
The article in question is by two Portuguese researchers, José Alves, from the University of Aveiro (UA), and Maria Dias, from BirdLife International.
“The decision of the Portuguese State to move forward with the Montijo airport violates two of the main pillars of the European Ecological Pact: combat global climate change and reverse the crisis of biodiversity. Published today in the magazine ‘Science’, the article by José Alves, a researcher at the University of Aveiro (UA), and Maria Dias, a researcher at BirdLife International, ask the Government to stop the project and make Portugal a success story in the implementation of the European Ecological Pact ”, reveals a statement from the University of Aveiro, to which Jornal Economico had access.
According to this note, the article ‘Science’ (https://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.abe4325) “reveals the contradiction between the intention of the European Commission to change European economies to more sustainable models (European Ecological Pact) and the environmental authorization issued by a member state (Portugal) for the construction of the Montijo airport, in the heart of the largest wetland in the country, the Tagus estuary ”.
“In the article published today in the prestigious journal ‘Science’, José Alves, researcher at the Department of Biology and the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies of the UA, and Maria Dias, scientific coordinator of the marine program of the BirdLife International organization, highlight that the The importance of the Tagus estuary for biodiversity extends far beyond the Portuguese borders, being designated as a Natural Reserve according to Portuguese law, Special Protection Area (Directive of Birds of the European Union), Wetland of International Importance ( Ramsar Convention) and Important Bird Area (Birdlife International) ”, underlines the AU statement.
According to the researchers who wrote the article, “the Tagus estuary is an important international center for migratory birds using the eastern Atlantic flyway, serving as a bridge between breeding areas located in the northern hemisphere and wintering areas in in southern Europe and Africa, which is estimated to be used by some 300,000 waterfowl ”.
“The authors of this article argue that the Portuguese State’s decision violates two of the main pillars of the European Ecological Pact: combating global climate change and reversing the crisis of biodiversity. Despite the substantial increase in carbon emissions that a second airport in the capital area will generate, the authors say, Lisbon is currently the European Green Capital, ”the statement said.
“Ironically, Lisbon’s bid for this award benefited from the proximity to the Tagus estuary reserve, despite the fact that the route now proposed for aircraft routes involves flights at less than 200 meters altitude within the protected area. , disturbing in a very notable way several of the most important areas for aquatic birds and for which the reserve of the Tagus estuary was established ”, emphasize José Alves and Maria Dias.
The researchers point out that “these birds move in the Tagus estuary in flocks that can form with tens of thousands of individuals, taking advantage of the complex mosaic of estuarine habitats sculpted over millennia, such as marshes and riverbanks and more recently, due to human intervention, salt flats and rice fields ”.
Scientists give as an example the flocks of up to 80,000 right-billed shorebirds that breed in Iceland and the Netherlands and that concentrate in the Tagus estuary each year to feed and rest during their annual migration.
“Several other species that breed in the Arctic and northern Europe, many of which are in sharp decline, depend on the Tagus estuary. This wetland is also home to very important populations of other aquatic birds, namely flamingos, spoonbills and herons. It is also in this estuary where the greatest number of aquatic birds in Portugal are concentrated, being the second most important in the Iberian Peninsula and a crucial point of connection between northern Europe and Africa for migratory birds ”, the authors of the article warn of Science ‘.
Despite the impact of Covid-19 on air traffic, the researchers point out that “the private company that promotes and finances the Montijo airport [Grupo Vinci, dono da ANA] announced that it remains firm in its commitment to go ahead with the project and the Portuguese government publicly announced its support for it in June, July and September, when the consequences of the pandemic in the aviation industry were already clear ”.
In the opinion of José Alves and Maria Dias, “this is a clear example of an attempt by a Member State to ignore conservation guidelines, international agreements for the protection of species and ‘habitats’ and the announcements that the Government itself makes to promote a more sustainable and carbon-free future ”.
“Given the role of the Tagus estuary in harboring species along the entire migration route, including those that benefit from publicly funded conservation programs in other parts of their range, it is highly likely that other countries will blame Portugal from the negative consequences of this development in the Tagus Estuary ”, warn the authors of the article.
“The environmental impact study of the Montijo airport has been highly criticized, due to the lack of data and information, technical errors and the adoption of subjective criteria,” the biologists also denounce.
“The Portuguese Environmental Agency issued the controversial Environmental Impact Statement based on a favorable opinion from the board of the Institute for Conservation of Nature and Forests, an entity that evaluates the impacts on birds, despite the fact that the internal opinion of their technicians has been unfavorable. The proposed compensation measures for birds are not effective, since almost half of the Tagus estuary will be affected and cannot be replaced ”, they conclude.
The authors of the article ask the Portuguese Government to reconsider the decision to authorize the construction of the Montijo airport and take the opportunity of Lisbon to be the current European Green Capital to demonstrate true international leadership in the global movement for a sustainable future, making Portugal , a success story in the implementation of the European Ecological Pact.
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