Environmental Education

Since 1991 Ria de Alvor has played a very significant part in the Environmental Education programme carried out by A Rocha.  The majority of the educational activities are carried out on the Estuary’s marshes, which facilitate an awesome overview of the whole biological and ecological  picture, and the main theme underlying them all is the need to preserve and conserve the area.

The range of activities reach more than 2000 people per year, diverse groups but principally schoolchildren and students from the municipalities of Lagos and Portimao.

All the Environmental Education Activities carried out by A Rocha are specifically geared to the relevant curricula of the students and set within the context of Ria de Alvor, demonstrating perfectly many scientific, commercial, historic and leisure related topics.  Programmes are currently being run for primary school children as well as secondary school children (years 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12).  There are other activities directed at non-school groups which also take place and the aim of these is also to educate and sensitize participants (often locals) towards a greater and more responsible attitude toward the protection of the Ria de Alvor.

One of the fundamental principles underlying all the Environmental Education activities carried out over the years has been  that understanding and studying the Ria de Alvor is so important in that we care more about the things we love and that we can only love the things we know about and understand.

Amongst the more highly developed areas of A Rocha’s education work on the Ria de Alvor are the observation and identification of birds, mollusks, marsh plants and flora, moths and butterflies, freshwater invertebrates, the identification of fruit trees (by their leaves) and of garden plants (by their flowers), guided walks from the Centre down to the Estuary, educational games (learning about the food-chain, recycling etc), guided visits to the Exhibition room/museum, the nature trail and explanation and demonstration of bird ringing.  Another activity carried out on the marsh and beach is the observation, identification and recording of wading birds or plants or mollusks.  Although the dunes are a little further away, their educational potential is exploited as and when necessary.