The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

4th meeting of the Mediterrean Wetlands Committee, Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001

Fourth Meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee (MedWet/Com4)
Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001

INFO. MC4/09

Fourth Meeting of the Mediterranean Wetlands Committee
Sesimbra, Portugal, 21-23 May 2001

Practical arrangements

VENUE

MedWet/Com4 will be held in the Hotel do Mar (****) located on the top of a hill and overlooking the ocean in Sesimbra, Portugal (see map 1). Sesimbra is an attractive fishing town that caters for day-trippers from Lisbon. It’s a popular tourist destination with beautiful sand beaches, unspoiled picturesque architecture and lively summer nights.

ARRIVAL

Participants arriving on May 19 to Lisbon airport will find a welcome desk there and the organisers will arrange their transportation to the hotel in Sesimbra. Sesimbra is only 40 km from Lisbon and it can easily be reached by express bus (see map 2). The hotel is not far from the centre.

For participants arriving during other days, a taxi to Sesimbra will cost approximately 45 euros. There is a bus with a fare of 3 euros that leaves from the bus terminal in central Lisbon ("Praça de Espanha") and goes direct to Sesimbra. The time schedule is as follows: Weekdays: 6.30, 7.10, 8.00, 8.15, 9.15, 12.15, 16.15, 17.30, 18.30, 19.30. Sunday: 9.15, 12.15, 18.00, 19.15, 20:45. For traveling later in the day, there is an alternative route that involves taking the ferry across the Tagus to Cacilhas and then catching a bus to Sesimbra up until midnight. But anyone that needs to travel this late should better get in touch with the organisers.

ACCOMMODATION

Sponsored delegates will be accommodated at the Hotel do Mar. Other participants paying their own costs are also invited to stay at this hotel, since a special rate has been negotiated for the meeting, as shown in the registration form.

There are other options for accommodation in Sesimbra, which will be less expensive, at roughly 15-20 minutes walk from the Hotel do Mar. Taxis are available and the fare for travelling within Sesimbra is roughly 3 euros. For more information please contact Sandra Moutinho.

LANGUAGES

The working languages will be English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided at plenary sessions and during the technical session, but not at the workshops.

POSTERS

Participants are welcome to present their posters at the exhibition hall, especially on the theme of the technical session "Mediterranean salinas: Tradition and sustainable use".

FIELD TRIP (20 May 2001)

There will be a field trip on Sunday 20 May to the Sado Estuary and Lagoa de Albufeira. The weather is likely to be mild (20-25º C) and dry, but the temperatures in the estuary and salinas rise a little above the average. Due to the beach proximity, some cooler breezes may be expected, mainly at night Do not forget to bring a sunscreen with high protection factor and sunglasses. Also, it might be windy during the boat trip. We suggest that you bring the usual clothing for field trips that will protect you from excessive exposure to the sun, but also a bathing suit if you wish.

08:30 Departure from Hotel do Mar. The bus trip will cross Arrábida Natural Park and then enter Sado Estuary Natural Reserve.
10:00 Açude da Murta
10:45 Carrasqueira
11:10 Troia dunes
11:30 Boat trip to Setúbal
13:00 Arrival at Setúbal
13:15 Lunch at Mourisca tidemill
15:15 Salinas in Praia do Sado
17:00 Lagoa de Albufeira
18:00 Return to Hotel do Mar

Arrábida Natural Park

The Arrábida Natural Park extends over an area of 10,800 ha, situated between Sesimbra and Setúbal, the hill of Palmela and the sea. It comprises a mountain chain of lime formations reaching a peak at Formosinho, a cliff with an elevation of 500 m. The main asset is the extension of well-preserved Mediterranean vegetation, including three reserves where the forest keeps the original characteristics and the vegetation reaches tree structure.

Sado Estuary Nature Reserve

The Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, set up in 1980, covers an area of approximately 23,160 ha. This is a major estuarine area on the mouth of the Sado River adjacent to industrial Setúbal. More than 50% of its total area consists of the estuary itself. There are strong tidal influences and marked saline influences in most of the estuary with freshwater habitats located basically upstream. The reserve includes important saltmarsh areas, salinas and commercial fish farms, extensive reed beds, rice fields, a combination of forest and dry pastureland, and the dunes of Troia with significant examples of flora. Sado has a high value for hibernating, nesting and feeding zone for migrating birds, being classified as a special bird protection zone.

Açude da Murta

The wetland habitats at Murta have truly outstanding botanical value. We find here one of the largest colonies of snowy egret in Portugal. The whole colony is somewhat special in that the egrets build their nests in bushes and small trees.

Carrasqueira

Carrasqueira is a little fishing village famous for its port built on piles, the largest of its kind in Portugal. It is well known too for its characteristic fishermen’s huts, constructed by using reeds, adobe and thatched roofing.

Troia dunes

The dunes of Troia are classified as a botanical reserve. There are most valuable areas with dune vegetation. Here we can find species that have adapted to the extreme lack of moisture and highest salt level, several of them are protected species. There is also an interesting area of marshes.

Mourisca

The Mourisca estate is owned by the Reserve in order to set up an environmental park. Of special interest here, apart from the forests of oak and pine trees, is the seawater mill. This 400 year-old mill, which utilises the difference in level between low and high tides to produce the power to grind cereals, has been renovated by the Reserve and is open to the public.

Salinas in Praias do Sado

A significant portion of the salt produced in Portugal comes from this salty land bordering the river in Praias do Sado. And even today, with most of the salt basins transformed into fish farming pools, here are concentrated almost 45% of the salt producing basins.

Lagoa de Albufeira

Most of the wetland is state-owned and ICN plans to set up here a wetlands visitor and research centre in the near future. The Lagoa is a coastal lagoon on sandy soils. There is intermittent communication to the ocean across a narrow sand dune system, and permanent freshwater inputs upstream from small creeks across alluvial plains used for agriculture. Around the lagoon there are sand dunes with characteristic seafront vegetation, gradually merging into dry shrubby areas and pinewoods further inland.

For further information about MedWet or the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 22 April 2001, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.