Congratulations to the Câmara Municipal de Lagoa for securing the funding and providing the plan for the upgrading of the grounds of Fatacil and the football club. The addition of more trees to the city landscape is especially welcome.
However, the urban park project is lacking in an important dimension that would elevate it from being welcome to wonderful. It is missing a natural area. And the irony is that one already exists, right next door- Alagoas Brancas.
If the new trees are to be, in the words of the president, 'the lungs' of Lagoa, what is to become of the Alagoas, 'the heart and soul' of the city? The heart, because it is the place where the elements of water and earth come together to produce an abundance of wildlife, and the soul because it is the source of Lagoa's heritage.
Were Fatacil and Alagoas Brancas, as a nature reserve, to be united, each would complement the other; the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts. This larger 'eco-park' would truly be the jewel in the crown of the municipality.
It is good to dream but it is even better to make dreams reality. How can Alagoas Brancas be saved from commercial development? Whose responsibility is it to safeguard Lagoa's heritage? There is much wisdom in the saying: 'If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.' Therefore it is up to the people of Lagoa and by extension, the Câmara Municipal who are servants of the people, to unite and say: 'We will not allow this environmental crime to be committed in our city.' Besides the moral aspect, a crime it would indeed be to destroy this precious ecosystem, contravening laws enshrined in our national and European constitutions.
Speaking of solutions, these can often be found in unlikely places. During the Junta de Freguesia presidential debate, one of the candidates mentioned that large corporations should be encouraged to give back to the local communities in which they are making profits. Following this line of reasoning, one solution would be to propose that the developers gift Alagoas Brancas to the community and join the urban park enterprise as partners with the Câmara Municipal. In this way, they could enhance both their public image and their profits, which go hand in hand.
To sign the 'Stop the destruction of Lagoa wetlands' petition, click HERE
