Ecology

Portugal’s persistent packaging problem. I am standing at the reception desk at the Pingo Doce supermarket in Lagos with an empty one-litre glass water bottle in my hand. I ask the woman at the counter if I can exchange this bottle here. “No,” she says, “we don’t stock Carvalhelhos water, and we don’t accept deposit bottles from this company.” I …

Just imagine if a fish were a tourist. He would bring money with him and spend it; he would consume local products, paying for his hotel and full board. But no, a fish is not a tourist: “what nonsense are you talking?” asks my flatmate, whom I told about my imagination at breakfast. A freshwater fish doesn’t need a freshly-made …

I would be interested to know what value positive press has nowadays. A well-paid public relations agency in Lisbon has been sending out a press release to all the newspapers and magazines operating in Portugal, highlighting the environmentally-friendly behaviour of a company that is actively involved in tourism in the Algarve. The press release is not just about the company’s …

Navigator SA is a Portuguese company that owns and manages eucalyptus monocultures in order to produce paper from the wood. Every eight years, the eucalyptus trees are felled and transported to the Navigator Company’s factories in Setúbal and Matosinhos. The trees then grow back. Navigator and its predecessors Portucel and Soporcel have created an empire for themselves over the past …

Garrano horses and Maronesa cattle (resembling an aurochs), as well as griffon vultures and many other wild or semi-wild animals live in a privately-owned, open nature reserve of 856 hectares, which is also classified as a bird sanctuary and a UNESCO World Heritage Archaeological Site. The caves along the banks of the river are home to 20,000-year-old rock paintings from …

Today, 1 April, we’re staying in Portugal, on our own doorstep, so to speak. I’m dealing with animals. Yes, we are not alone on this planet, dear friends. We humans have multiplied and prevailed over animals to such an extent that we are now the ones who call the shots. We are, so to speak, without external enemies. All together, …