Marine Natural Park of the Algarve Reef - Pedra do Valado

Marine Natural Park of the Algarve Reef – Pedra do Valado

The First Marine Protected Area of Community Interest in Portugal

Colorful underwater scene with vibrant coral formations and sea fans beneath a rock arch. Sunlight filters through clear aqua water

The Marine Natural Park of the Algarve Reef – Pedra do Valado marks a decisive milestone in ocean conservation in Portugal. Covering 156 km², it is the country’s first Marine Protected Area of Community Interest.

Resulting from a community-led, science-based initiative, the project was shaped through an unprecedented participatory process involving the municipalities of Albufeira, Lagoa, and Silves, local fishers’ associations, the hospitality sector, maritime-tourism operators, regional administration, state laboratories, and non-governmental organisations.

This designation represents an innovative model of governance and participation, designed to safeguard one of the most biodiverse and productive marine ecosystems along the Portuguese coast.

A pioneering model

The Algarve Reef Marine Natural Park – Pedra do Valado stands as a pioneering example of a bottom-up approach. It demonstrates that ocean protection can be achieved through genuine collaboration between communities, science and public policy.

It signals a new model for conservation – replicable, inclusive, and focused on delivering measurable results.

A model of collaboration

Launched in 2018, the proposal arose from the local community’s determination to protect the region’s blue natural capital, while ensuring sustainable development and valuing the territory and its activities. Since then, Oceano Azul Foundation and CCMAR – Centre of Marine Sciences at the University of the Algarve – have led a wide-ranging participatory process, involving more than 70 entities to gather concerns, collect contributions and design solutions.

This approach culminated in a formal proposal submitted to the Portuguese Government in 2021.

Designation of the Marine Park

In 2023, the Public Consultation on the Classification Act of the Marine Natural Park was carried out by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), with the support of Oceano Azul Foundation in communication and outreach, in order to ensure public participation. This process made it possible to hear the views of the local community regarding the classification and to legitimise the Government’s decision to designate this area as a Marine Natural Park. The consultation recorded unprecedented levels of participation, with more than 160 comments and 86 documents submitted, reflecting broad, plural and representative engagement from civil society.

The Portuguese Government publicly acknowledged the importance of implementing compensation mechanisms and measures to enhance the region’s economic activities, considering them fundamental to this process. In this context, Oceano Azul Foundation funded an in-depth technical study, developed by CCMAR | University of Algarve, which was submitted to the Government together with a proposal for compensation mechanisms.

In the following year, 2024, the classification of the Marine Natural Park og the Algarve Reef – Pedra do Valado was formally approved by a Resolution of the Council of Ministers, recognising not only the ecological value of the largest coastal rocky reef in mainland Portugal, but also the legitimacy of the process that underpinned it.

This decision was based on four key objectives, reflecting the ambition to reconcile conservation and development:
1. Effective conservation of natural values, particularly the most sensitive and threatened.
2. Promotion of sustainable local fisheries.
3. Development of sustainable recreational activities.
4. Enhancement of educational and cultural activities related to the ocean and the Algarve Reef.

From plan to action

With the designation approved, implementation of the new protected area is now underway.

Currently, 4 km² are already fully protected, with no extractive activities permitted. Commercial fishing without a specific licence is prohibited throughout the Marine Park. Compensation measures have also been secured for the fishing community, reinforcing the principle that “no one is left behind.”

This phase also includes the development of legal management instruments, namely the Special Programme and the Management Regulation, in a process once again coordinated by ICNF and shaped through consultation with the local community.