“Caves are the places we can access, they are unique places to study biodiversity”, Ana Sofia Reboleira, professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and leader of the Underground Ecology research group at the Ecology Center, told Lusa.

The biologist will coordinate the Barrocal-Cave project over three years, which received funding of 163,883 euros awarded by the Belmiro de Azevedo Prize, Foundation for Science and Technology.

The main challenge will be the conservation of the Gruta do Vale Telheiro, located in the Barrocal zone (sub-region of the Algarve located between the mountains and the coast), recently recognised as a global 'hotspot' of underground biodiversity.

The objective is to create useful information for the protection of the cave, as well as a framework for its future ecological assessment, ensuring its sustainability. In addition, a proposal for a legal framework for the protection of the habitat and the most relevant species is also planned.

Ana Sofia Reboleira explained to Lusa that it would not be possible to carry out public visits to the cave because the atmosphere is deadly and has a very low concentration of oxygen, meaning only properly equipped people can travel to the site.

The technician added that the small animals and organisms present and intended to be studied are “vital” for biological processing, that is, for the “purification of the large reserves of fresh water that are available for immediate human consumption”.

The project will allow the creation of the first long-term ecological investigation into caves in Western Europe, as well as assessing the needs for ecological restoration in degraded areas of the cave and its surface area of ​​influence.

The Barrocal-Cave project was officially launched on 3 May, with the Lusófona University and the University of Algarve as partners and the support of Loulé City Council, the owner of the land where the cave is located, and the Algarve Living Science Center.