Mata de Sesimbra Endorsed One Planet Living Community

Pelicano, developers of the Mata de Sesimbra eco-tourism project in Portugal were the first to take up the One Planet Living challenge in 2003 when they agreed to develop and manage the project following the ten One Planet Living principles. The €1 billion project is an integrated sustainable building, tourism, nature conservation and reforestation programme.

This 5,300 ha site will combine a 4,800 ha nature reserve and native pine and oak forest restoration project with a 500 ha tourism development comprising up to 8,000 units. BioRegional and WWF will work with the Portuguese project team over a ten-year period as advisors.

Investment
The construction cost will be €800 million; the public transport and road network will cost €90 million; the green sports, leisure and cultural facilities will cost €105 million; and the reforestation and quarry restoration programme will initially cost €20 million, with further funds for nature conservation guaranteed over a 50-year period.

Background
“Mata de Sesimbra” is the name of an area south of Lisbon and west of Setúbal characterised by heavy pressure for urban development, clandestine villa construction, and unregulated off-road activities. This is causing serious problems such as habitat fragmentation, coastal erosion, and disturbance of protected wildlife species.

The specific area for this project is currently occupied mainly by exotic eucalyptus and pine plantations and intensive agriculture. The area suffers from serious problems of forest degradation and abandonment, and is highly prone to fires.
There are a number of nearby Natura 2000 sites, and one is inside the Mata de Sesimbra area. Fencing around sensitive wildlife areas has mainly fallen down or can easily be circumvented (and is so regularly, for example by trail-bikers). There are a number of huge sand quarries, and traffic is heavy along coastal roads.

Originally there were plans to allow a number of ‘conventional’ mass tourism and associated development schemes to spring up in 11 different locations within the project area. However, local landowners, the regional association of forestry producers (AFLOPS) and real estate developers Pelicano put forward an alternative proposal to concentrate all development within a single area, leaving the rest for conservation.

Sustainability Action Plan
The 8,000-unit, 25,000-bed development will use sustainable building materials and renewable energy throughout.

The Sustainability Action Plan proposes to use the receipts from the development to fund conservation measures throughout the area. This includes funding the biggest privately-financed forest restoration projects in Europe, creating closed-off protected areas for vulnerable nesting birds, and recovering wetland and other important riverine and coastal habitats.

The development will reach a massive 50% of landfill diversion in the first year, and will go on to meet ‘zero waste’ targets. Some of the ‘waste’ will be utilised for horticultural purposes.
The type of recreational activities will be diversified e.g. horse-riding, cultural centres, whilst an on-site golf course will be fed only by rainwater and treated waste water.

Other highlights include:
• sourcing 50 per cent of food from local sources to cut ‘food miles’ and also reviving traditional local agriculture and fisheries
• creating over 11,000 new jobs
• creating a sustainable transport network, virtually eliminating the need for private vehicles within the development

Environmental Management Plan
The Environmental Management Plan is based on 2 guiding principles:
1) to preserve/restore ecological corridors
2) to be an innovative model of good planning practice and conservation

The plan has identified existing and potential corridors, as well as existing urban and rural land uses (e.g. types of forestry, agriculture, areas of high conservation value, degraded zones)
Summary of conservation strategy

1. assure and recover ecological corridors
(including integration with neighbouring eco-regions).

2. fund protection of important areas
(whether in or outside protected areas).

3. maintain and recover important forest-maquis species, wetlands, water line vegetation.

4. prioritise important/neglected local species
(e.g. unique local variety of juniper).

5. substantial reduction in area of exotic eucalyptus and pine plantation.

6. recover traditional land uses and products
(e.g. dry orchards, agro-silvo-pastoral farming).

7. control people flux/traffic.

8. closing off to public of sensitive ecological zones/wildlife habitats (e.g. nesting sites of Bonelli’s Eagle).

9. use of development income to guarantee funding of effective conservation measures.

10. develop good models of tourism, including code of practice.

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One Planet Living is a global initiative based on 10 principles of sustainability developed by BioRegional and WWF.

Last updated 12th March 2008