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... The construction of the water retention landscape started in year 2005 and was mainly defined by the construction of 19 new lakes and several complementary measures such as the creation of terraces and contour swales where orchards and agroforests were installed with mulching in an effort to retain as much water as possible while controlling erosion and regenerating soil. The construction of this water retention landscape was subject to a cost-benefit analysis in the context of climate adaptation, for the period 2015-2050 (Alves et al. 2015;Santos et al. 2017), and several landscape functions were identified as being improved, namely, local microclimate, local biodiversity, carbon sink, quality of life, water provision, food sovereignty and support for human activities. Furthermore, these lakes and additional measures increased the real estate value and increased the potential for tourism and education activities. ...
... These investments could be considered more worthwhile if, with replication and increased learning in the implementation, the high costs of construction could be reduced. Furthermore, if the benefits are valued with a higher value due to water scarcity and climate change (ecosystem services, water provision, etc.) or the period of analysis is extended to year 2100, these investments are also considered more worthwhile (Alves et al. 2015). Since the water retention landscape is a measure that implements landscape multifunctionality and supports human activities and attracts newcomers, thus constituting also an investment for rural renaissance, this cost-benefit analysis and this experience constitute a valuable case study for its assessment and discussion. ...
Portugal geographical location makes it vulnerable to climate change events like heat waves, wildfires, drought, floods and sea level rise. Inland Portugal is a low-density region due to rural exodus and migration. For long years traditional farming has produced cultural landscapes, some of which are classified as nature protected area and cultural heritage. As climate change is increasing extreme events, temperature, heat waves, drought and water scarcity, these areas are more exposed to wildfires accentuated by the lack of adequate local fire management and simultaneously facing depopulation and social changes. Preserving these landscapes require in some cases a rural renaissance approach based on diverse multifunctional landscapes and climate adaptation strategies that enables restoration of ecosystems and an increase in labour and employment based on locals or newcomers. The chapter presents 6 case studies in Alentejo associated with grassroots initiatives that explore and demonstrate different aspects of how multifunctional landscapes and participatory action research can promote rural renaissance and climate change adaptation. Mértola has a history of integrated local development and is now innovating in solutions to create local food supply chain and support the diversification of the ecosystem protection and regeneration. Aldeia das Amoreiras developed a participatory model of a dream village and a Permaculture design to its implementation. Tamera is an intentional ecovillage focused on peace learning, which has implemented and disseminated an adaptation measure and approach called water retention landscapes. Herdade da Coitadinha, Herdade do Freixo do Meio and Herdade da Ribeira Abaixo adopted specific climate adaptation plans and crop plans were designed and implemented with support of EU LIFE funding.
This work aims to provide a more complete characterization of coastal erosion mitigation and climate change adaptation measures by presenting a participatory approach that integrates medium-to long-term perspectives, considering simultaneously social, environmental, economic and engineering dimensions to help decision makers implement sustainable climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies. The work lists, explains and characterizes existing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures as well as their costs and positive and negative social, environmental and economic impacts, in three distinct databases. These databases are discussed, complemented and validated in participatory moments with local stakeholders of the Ovar Municipality, Portugal, which represents the case study to support the proposed methodology. Although Ovar is a pilot case, the integrated framework for resilient CCA has a global application with respect to methodologies and concepts. The proposed approach is useful to help coastal management entities to engage in more efficient, effective and beneficial planned action to mitigate coastal erosion and adapt to future climate change effects. The open-source databases and the participatory approach facilitate decision makers and coastal communities to navigate the complexity of solutions and build consensus around collective actions for coastal areas.
Drylands are very susceptible to the effects of climate change due to water stress. One possible climate change adaptation measure is the construction of lakes to increase water availability for drinking and irrigation (food production) and decrease fire risk. These lakes can also increase local biodiversity and human well-being. However, other non-target services such as carbon (C) storage, water purification, and sediment retention might also change. Our main aim was to evaluate the trade-offs on non-targeted ecosystem services due to lakes construction in drylands. This was done using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) modeling tools, comparing a Mediterranean area located in southwest (SW) Europe, with and without artificial lakes. Results showed that the construction of artificial lakes caused an increase of 9.4% in C storage. However, the consequent increase in agricultural area decreased water purification and sediment retention services. This could diminish the life span of the lakes changing the initial beneficial cost-benefit analysis on lakes as adaptation measures to climate change. As a global measure for mitigation and adaptation to climate change strategy, we consider lake construction in drylands to be positive since it can store C in sediments and reduces the vulnerability to water scarcity. However, as a general recommendation and when built to support or increase agriculture in semi-arid landscapes, we consider that lakes should be complemented with additional measures to reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching such as (i) locate agricultural areas outside the lakes water basin, (ii) afforestation surrounding the lakes, and (iii) adopt the best local agriculture practices to prevent and control soil erosion and nutrient leaching.
This article sheds light on the exclusionary dynamics that emerge when the construction of commons-based alternative political ecologies does not take political economy considerations into account. It analyses the relationship between Tamera – Healing Biotope I, and the ecosystem, population and institutions of the region of southwestern Alentejo, Portugal, where this ecovillage is located. Tamera is based on a prefigurative process of "commoning", transplanted from Central European counter-culture, which created a "borderland" that spatially segregates and at the same time creates a point of contact between two contrasting cultural, ecological and socio-economic realities. However, maintaining the "borderland" granted the community access to the resources needed to develop its vision, while countering existing regulations, although eventually involving the state in the development of a new regulatory framework. Since the mid- 2000s, Tamera has been engaging in cultural dialogue with the local population, with the support of the municipality. The analysis raises the question of how to develop regulatory and financial instruments that support ecovillages in promoting inclusive strategies of economic sustainability, integrating them in placebased dynamics of regional development. The specificities of their biophysical and social processes must be taken into account, as well as their vocation as "testfields" for sustainability. Keywords: Regional political ecology, ecovillages, regional development, social exclusion, cultural dialogue, regulatory innovation, Portugal
