The proposal, available on the Participa portal, was approved by the National Maritime Authority (AMN), Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), Câmara de Lagoa, in the district of Faro, and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).

The objective is to collect public contributions to adjust the final regulations for visiting the Benagil Caves, both in terms of human carrying capacity and access conditions, the Captain of the Port of Portimão told Lusa.

“The aim is to meet the expectations of the community in general, following this procedure under the Code of Administrative Procedure”, highlighted Eduardo Pousadas Godinho.

The official added that the document resulted from the report of the Benagil Caves Working Group, recommending that “the entities with responsibility in the area should produce the navigation instruction and promulgate it, until there is a decision from the Government”.

“This is a set of management measures considered a priority, to be implemented this year, for access to the area, agreed between the four entities – Câmara de Lagoa, ICNF, AMN, and APA”, he pointed out.

Eduardo Pousadas Godinho added that the opinions and contributions collected “will subsequently be evaluated and considered, and will serve to adjust the final document, to be published, either through a notice or administrative regulation”.

Urgent

The subscribers of the proposal are unanimous in considering that it is urgent to regulate visits to the Benagil Caves this year, given the large number of visitors and the conflicts observed, mainly during the summer period.

Located off Benagil beach, the caves are considered a relevant natural heritage and one of the main tourist attractions in the Algarve which, in the summer period, has aroused the interest of more and more visitors, especially by sea.

The proposed instructions aim to promote the regulated and rational use of the coastline, from a perspective of the coexistence of uses and activities and measures necessary to safeguard the environment, prevent risk, and guarantee the safety of users.

Among the measures are the prohibition of disembarking and/or bathing use of the beach, inside the cave, and the prohibition of access to the interior of the caves for visitors swimming or using flotation aids.

The document applies to access, by sea and through bathing and non-bathing beaches, to the general public, maritime-tourist operators, recreational vessels, and navigation in general, which approaches less than 500 meters from the coast in the area of the Benagil caves, delimited between Vale do Lapa beach and Albandeira beach, located in the municipality of Lagoa.


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