Creating waves of change in the Algarve
How can an exploding tourism industry and a critical hub for marine wildlife coexist? We met with local NGOs who are advocating for ecological engagement to find out.
If you’re one of the eight million passengers who flew into the Faro airport last year, your first impression of the Algarve region was one of breathtaking limestone coastlines and brilliant golden sun. But if you’re like us at The Green Journey, and arrived via a grueling 24-hour bus ride (more on the lack of public transport in the region below), your impression was a bit different. We watched the Alentejo region roll by, a never ending sea of greenhouses. Open lands were covered by olive monocultures. Passing through the territory of Big Ag, we abandoned our fantasy of a scenic route.
Nestled in the southwestern corner of Europe, Algarve is an Instagram-famous destination for good reason. The region sees 300 sunny days a year and is home to picture-perfect backdrops like the Benagil caves. Today, the Algarve is one of the fastest-growing destinations in the world, emerging as a hub for tourists, retirees, and digital nomads alike. The popularity of the region is writ large in rising prices; in 2022, home prices climbed 16%, the second-fastest annual rise in all of Europe.
With 10 million visitors last year (for reference: the population of Portugal itself is 10.33M), The Algarve is undeniably a tourist hotspot. But it’s also the 6th climate hotspot of our world tour. According to the Ocean Panel, coastal and marine tourism represents >50% of total global tourism. But as we face rapid ocean warming, coral reef bleaching, biodiversity loss, and the emerging threat of deep sea mining, lives and livelihoods have never been at greater risk.
We traveled to the Algarve with one goal in mind: to understand whether it’s possible to build a more sustainable, ecological form of tourism against the backdrop of the region’s explosive growth. Read on to find out what we learned!
Marine mammals and noise pollution with SOMAR
The Algarve region is rich in marine biodiversity; the area is home to over 25 species of marine mammals including six types of whales and many dolphins like the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin. A gateway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the region is an important corridor for migrating pods of cetaceans.
At Praia da Luz, we met with the team from SOMAR. Based in Lagos, the SOMAR team works on protection of the ocean and marine mammals in the Algarve, with a special focus on studying the impact of noise pollution in the region. Co-founders of SOMAR, Rafaela Prado and Fabio Pais, are two oceanographers who have been living in the Algarve for almost a decade.
They were inspired to start SOMAR after working in the tourism industry and observing firsthand how increasing traffic was negatively affecting marine life.
“When we came to the Algarve, I started out working on marine tourism boats. I was out on the water each day; and after four years, I realized that the number of boats was growing and growing, but no one cared about the noise they were creating,” Fabio said.
Motivated by their experience working in a more cetacean-friendly tourism industry in Australia and Brasil, Rafaela and Fabio started SOMAR to study — and raise awareness about — the detrimental effects of noise pollution on marine mammals.
“It’s a matter of education. If tourists know that getting too close has a negative effect on dolphins, 95% of them will be happy to keep a distance. But if we aren’t informing them, there’s a pressure to get closer and closer,”.
Dolphin-watching, when not done from a distance, can have seriously damaging effects on the animals.
“Noise pollution disrupts communication, feeding practices, mating practices of dolphins. If not managed, it can have negative effects throughout the entire lifecycle of these creatures,” Fabio said.
An imbalanced ecosystem
As we walked along the beaches with the SOMAR team, another ecosystem challenge quickly came to light. The Praia da Luz is covered with large concentrations of red algae, which have arrived to the region with transatlantic shipping.
“We’re noticing quite a rise in Asparagopsis armata, which is an invasive species all the way from south of Australia and New Zealand and Rugulopteryx okamurae from Japan,” Ylenia, another member of the SOMAR team, said.
When container ships dump excess water transported from the Pacific Ocean into the waters of the Algarve, or their hulls are not properly decontaminated, the red algae spreads, and displaces native algae species.
In addition to threats from invasive species, the Algarve is also vulnerable to ecosystem imbalances that are coming from the negative effects of climate change.
“Most people don’t realize this, but whales are actually a carbon sink,” Massimiliano, a team member at SOMAR, said. “They contribute positively to the carbon cycle in many ways, from increasing the productivity of phytoplankton wherever they go, to actually accumulating carbon in their own bodies over their long lifetimes.”
Each great whale is capable of sequestering an average of 33 tons of CO2 in its lifetime; in contrast, the average tree will absorb 1 ton in a 100-year lifetime.
“The problem is, there’s a negative cycle, where climate change, unsustainable fishing practices, and even whaling (prohibited by most countries in the world) are threatening these mammals at a time when we desperately need to see their populations growing, not falling,” Fabio said.
Where traditional tourism meets conservation efforts
During the last day of our trip to the Algarve, we met with Dr. Joana Castro, the founder of AIMM, another Portuguese NGO focused on the marine environment. AIMM brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists, designers and volunteers working on the common goal of promoting regional marine conservation. For the last 13 years, the group has conducted a wide range of scientific studies on marine mammals, turtles and sharks of the Algarve coast.
AIMM started as a group of young biologists with the goal to create a nonprofit focused mainly on studying cetaceans in the Algarve, given that they were under-examined in proportion to the growing human population with the chance to impact the lives of marine mammals in the area. They have several ongoing studies on the impact of tourism and climate change on cetaceans.
“The Algarve is obviously one of the most touristic areas in mainland Portugal, and we’re concerned about the impacts that tourism has over natural, wild populations so we are closely monitoring the situation,” Joana said.
AIMM now has its own research vessel, but when the organization was still getting off the ground, they utilized an unexpected partnership to collect data: they rode aboard the tourism boats in the region to collect scientific data.
“The idea was to do research alongside these boats, and help equip these companies with the necessary tools to improve a model for sustainable marine tourism,” Joana said.
Goodwill between both the tourism industry and the scientific researchers was essential to a fruitful partnership, creating positive feedback links and bringing best-practices for marine tourism to the region. To Joana, education remains one of the most powerful tools to combat the negative impact of tourism on marine mammals in the Algarve.
“It starts with owners and employees of tourism companies realizing that their activity is capable of having an impact that can be really bad for these animals,” she said. “Once they start to ask themselves, how can I help these animals, and ensure that the tourists understand this as well, then things can move forward.”
Awareness-building among the tourism companies then becomes a core value they can reflect back to the Algarve’s visitors.
“When people see whales and dolphins in the wild, it’s a magical moment of connection with nature, a powerful moment that can awaken environmental awareness in the future. It’s really important, then, that that moment is used to start something — not just sit in a vacuum,” Joana said.
A big win for nature
In addition to the ongoing efforts of local NGOs like SOMAR and AIMM to improve awareness and action around marine life in the Algarve, there’s more good news: through an unprecedented public participatory process, the first bottom-up Marine Protected Area in the Algarve has been initiated in the Pedra do Valado reef.
“The process really put together and involved everyone in the region, from local NGOs to scientists, to companies, to local fishermen who played a massive role in creating the area,” Dr. Joana said. AIMM contributed to the project with 13 years of marine megafauna data to the decision-making and advocacy efforts. “We’re so excited to see it move forward.”
The creation of a marine protected area will install provisions that will maintain the long-term sustainability and suitability of the area for marine life.
“There are many, many species in the Marine Protected Area that are considered endangered by European, and global standards,” Joana said. “This is just one of the elements that makes its establishment of critical importance.”
What’s happening on land?
Our trip to the Algarve was mostly about understanding the ocean and marine protection in the area, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to reflect on the state of drought in the area. Like its next-door neighbor Spain, Portugal is facing severe and extreme droughts during the summer, with a triple threat of low rainfall, low-groundwater levels, and record-breaking air temperatures. Tourism places significant pressure on these already-stretched water resources.
To respond to drought, the region has historically taken important actions likecutting water to private swimming pools and golf courses, but as records continue to shatter, the question remains — will these measures be enough?
Closing
We’re cautiously optimistic about the future of coastal and marine tourism in the Algarve. While it’s true the region faces unprecedented growth, our visit reassured us that there’s lots of amazing people (thank you again, SOMAR and AIMM teams!) working tirelessly to protect the region’s natural heritage.
You’re also probably an amazing person who cares about the environment, so what can you do?
Swap a motorized transport for zero-carbon adventures: When you go on vacation, think critically about what fun activities you can do that don’t burn CO2. For example, in the Algarve consider choosing a kayak tour instead of a motorized cruise (it’s better for marine mammals too!) or a mountain bike rental instead of an ATV. We promise these options are just as fun!
Spend your money at local businesses: Two-thirds of Portuguese citizens living in the Algarve make a living working in the tourism sector. If you travel to the Algarve, spend your time shopping, eating, and touring with local businesses rather than international corporations!
Support local NGOs: Our friends at SOMAR and AIMM are doing incredible work to preserve the Algarve. Here’s how you can learn more and get involved with their missions.
SOMAR: The NGO has three pillars — marine research, ocean literacy, and community building. They are now working on the AMPIC Sound Project, pioneer ocean soundscape research in the Algarve. You can take part and support their work, visit their website to learn more!
AIMM: There’s a range of ways to support AIMM’s mission, but perhaps one of the most exciting is their Dolphin Research Internship, which is currently accepting applications for the 2024 research season!