On November 29, the Sourinho weir was removed in front of an enthusiastic audience. This removal is part of a set of rehabilitation actions taking place along a 300-meter stretch of the Alviela River. Coordinated by GEOTA, the work began in mid-November with bank cleaning and invasive species control.
In the presence of local residents, landowners, and representatives of the main entities involved, Ana Catarina Miranda, coordinator of GEOTA’s Free Rivers Program, highlighted the importance of institutional collaboration with APA, the Municipality of Alcanena, and academic institutions such as ISCTE and Instituto Superior Técnico (which are supporting the public participation process and the monitoring of fish and sediments), as well as CLAPA and E.RIO. The latter was represented by Pedro Teiga, who briefly explained the ongoing rehabilitation project. Nuno Silva, Vice-President of the Municipality of Alcanena, emphasized the importance of such projects for the municipality and stated that they will continue to support initiatives of this kind.
At the end, Teresa Álvares, Regional Administrator of ARH Tejo e Oeste at APA, stressed that “APA will continue to support and promote river rehabilitation actions,” highlighting the ecological, social, and economic benefits that these initiatives provide.
This project is funded by DIMFE, the Open Rivers Europe Program, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and Dam Removal Europe.