It was with this premise that ANP|WWF, with the support of Carlsberg, created the first report on the state of the Tagus estuary, in light of the apparent return of the Dolphins. The report “Dolphins in the Tagus, for a healthier estuary” confirms some environmental improvements, such as water quality and the increase in the abundance of some species of fish, which may be attracting dolphins to the Tagus estuary. However, much remains to be done for the country's most threatened estuary, which was in a very worrying situation 30 years ago.
The Tagus estuary is one of the largest in Europe, and one of the most threatened at national level. It is a haven for millions of migratory birds and juvenile fish, including commercially important species for the survival of fishing communities. The estuary and its seagrass can be an important part of the future of groups of dolphins that use this system, and its exceptional landscape richness, combined with ecosystem services in the area of ecotourism, physical and mental health, guarantee raw materials and climate regulation, essential services to Nature and people for millennia, being a historically preferred area for the establishment of human communities.
The estuary is a highly complex and dynamic system, subject to many pressures that pose a threat to dolphin populations (underwater noise, pollution, among others), and its permanence in environments with high levels of disturbance can have medium and long-term consequences. It is now up to us to continue a consistent work of dolphin observation, seeking to correlate patterns of sightings with these indicators. That is why ANP|WWF recommends a holistic approach to the estuary, in which monitoring the presence of dolphins and other marine species is essential to understand behaviour patterns and areas of special protection.
Only then will we be able to define effective actions to minimize these impacts and improve the health of the Tagus estuary. It is in this sense that the creation of a Monitoring Committee for the Tagus Estuary is called for, including all relevant stakeholders, based on the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
The estuary is a highly complex and dynamic system, subject to many pressures that pose a threat to dolphin populations (underwater noise, pollution, among others), and its permanence in environments with high levels of disturbance can have medium and long-term consequences. It is now up to us to continue a consistent work of dolphin observation, seeking to correlate patterns of sightings with these indicators. That is why ANP|WWF recommends a holistic approach to the estuary, in which monitoring the presence of dolphins and other marine species is essential to understand behaviour patterns and areas of special protection.
Only then will we be able to define effective actions to minimize these impacts and improve the health of the Tagus estuary. It is in this sense that the creation of a Monitoring Committee for the Tagus Estuary is called for, including all relevant stakeholders, based on the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.