Photography: Pedro Mestre
This year the municipality of Mafra will maintain the number of beaches awarded with the Blue Flag in 2018: a total of 6.
Three are located in Ericeira, one in Carvoeira, one in Santo Isidoro and another in Encarnação. The beaches that will have this symbol of environmental quality and beach safety are Foz do Lizandro (sea) in Carvoeira; Baleia (or Sul), Algodio (or Norte) and Ribeira d’Ilhas in Ericeira; São Lourenço in Santo Isidoro and Calada in Encarnação.
The announcement of the beaches, recreational / marine ports and vessels with the Blue Flag in the bathing season was made in Lisbon by the Blue Flag Association of Europe – ABEA. In total, there are 352 beaches, 17 recreational ports / marinas and 9 eco-tourism vessels awarded the Blue Flag by the International Jury in 2019.
And with this number of Blue Flags, Portugal ranks first among the 44 countries whose beaches bear this symbol and is also the EU country with the highest percentage of beaches awarded (55%) compared to those considered suitable for bathing.
Portugal will thus have twenty more Blue Flag beaches compared to 2018, eight of them coastal beaches and two riverside beaches.
The Algarve, with 88 coastal beaches, continues to be the region of the country with the greatest number of blue flags. The North will have 75 Blue Flag beaches this year, of which 69 are coastal and six are riverside beaches. The Tejo region will have 54 Blue Flag beaches this year, 45 coastal and nine riverside beaches. The Central region will have 28 coastal and 16 riverside beaches with this award. The Alentejo will have 35 beaches (four of them freshwater beaches), the Azores 39 and Madeira 17.
In 2019, the challenge of the Blue Flag Program is to continue to raise awareness to the fact that marine litter originates from terrestrial activities, to the consequences of human behavior and to the role of rivers as a bridge between land and sea. The path involves environmental education and the adoption of more rational and efficient attitudes in the use of resources. An education for preservation, protection and better management, which begins in our rivers and ends at sea. An education for a low carbon society.
Esta publicação também está disponível em | This article is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)
