ABSTRACT
Having a significant portion of its borders on the coast, one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones in Europe and a strong tradition of sailing, the Portuguese government and population are distinctly aware of coastal management issues. Though its coast is on the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal shares many key characteristics – climatic, geographical, and cultural – with its Mediterranean neighbours. The similarities extend to the realm of coastal zone management: The country has adopted ambitious legislation for the protection of its coastal zone but has not always been successful in its implementation. Despite major development pressures, recent legislation has effectively defined the limits and status of the Maritime Public Domain. Yet in some areas, particularly the Algarve region on the country's sunny south coast, widespread illegal development has occurred on coastal public land and even in high-protection environmental zones. Such development includes many scattered private homes – many of them summer homes – and even entire settlements. These harm the natural landscape, ignore environmental risks, and constrain the rights of other citizens to access the coast. The issue has been subjected to several court challenges, and some demolitions have been undertaken. This chapter addresses the general features of the management of the coast in Portugal, with a closer analysis of the Algarve Region.
