About
Seixal is a Portuguese city and municipality located in the district of Setúbal, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. It is situated across the Tagus River estuary from Lisbon. Its seat is the city of Seixal, a centre of 31,600 inhabitants situated along the Rio Judeu.
The project proposed for the Tagus basin aims to tackle important challenges of this region, such as:
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Degradation of ecosystems, and in particular water pollution and biodiversity loss, and
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Climate change, including hydrological and river flow changes, decreased precipitation, heat waves, warming and sea level rise.
The approach proposed is fully aligned with the goals of the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’ as it will contribute to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as prevent and eliminate pollution. It also follows the objectives of DANUBE4all project to contribute to improved ecological status and biodiversity, promoting a science-to-people approach that will take the inhabitants’ interests into account.
What are the project’s priorities?
The Tagus river basin is affected by a multitude of pressures that pose a variety of challenges. The project proposed for the Tagus river basin aims to tackle important challenges for this region, in particular:
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Degradation of ecosystems - especially water pollution and biodiversity loss
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Climate change - including hydrological and river flow changes, decreased precipitation, heat waves, warming and sea level rise
The work will be mainly focused on the improvement of water quality and biodiversity monitoring schemes.The existing monitoring infrastructure, CoastNet, will be expanded (in spatial terms) to assess changes in water quality, for reconnecting people and nature, and for the promotion of stakeholder engagement. Monitoring data will also be analysed to further understand temporal and spatial changes in the Tagus estuary, contributing significantly to the scientific knowledge of the system.
Overall, scientific contributions will provide valuable insights to the discussions with stakeholders, providing scientific support to the definition of a roadmap of restoration actions, for which DANUBE4all project will act as a lighthouse.
How will the learnings from DANUBE4all help the project in its river restoration goals?
Collaboration with DANUBE4all project is an outstanding opportunity to learn and discuss critical topics related to the functioning, management and restoration of river basins. DANUBE4all will act as a lighthouse and will allow others to replicate effective actions using successful solutions and tools.This represents a crucial step towards the improved status of the Tagus socio-ecological system, promoting the implementation of a science-to-people approach.
What can citizens do to protect our waters for future generations?
We believe all contributions from all individuals matter. Citizens can promote sustainable management of water resources by taking an active role in the surveillance and protection of those assets, as well as by implementing the 5Rs rule: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and restore. Citizens may also actively pursue and engage in public activities promoting Ocean Literacy to grow more responsible and informed behaviour towards the aquatic environment and its resources.