Water - and hope - back at Salgados

Lagoa dos Salgados is almost full of water again. Masses of birds are back. There is even a glimmer of hope that the authorities are going to take care of this important wetland area at long last.

Much of the lagoon was reduced to a dried-up expanse of cracked mud before the end of the nesting season. It started to fill again only two weeks ago. It is not up to optimum level yet, but it is getting there.

More than ever because of the lack of winter and spring rainfall, the lagoon is dependent on input from the local sewage treatment plant. This has recently increased, probably because of an upsurge in tourists now that we are into the peak season.

The lagoon shares the supply from the treatment plant with the neighbouring Salgados golf course. But as yet there is no proper metering equipment, according to the Portuguese bird society, SPEA.

Allegations that the golf course was taking more than its fair share, or even illegally pumping water from the lagoon, were flatly denied by the golf course director.

It is believed that the regional hydrographical authority in the Algarve (ARH) has now applied to the ministry of the environment in Lisbon for funds, (said to be €1 million) to install a water level control system.

The idea is to keep the lagoon level constant– neither too low as in June this year, nor too high and thus flooding parts of the Salgados golf course or even polluting the nearby beaches as in August 2008. 

Such control was agreed in principle in 2008 after years of negotiations between government agencies, municipal authorities, developers and environmental bodies - but it was never implemented because no one was able or willing to cough up the money.

Hopes of proper management of the lagoon should not be raised too high. Added to the history of governmental indifference and ineptness, we now have a deepening economic crisis.

Lagoa dos Salgados badly needs both proper management and protection whether or not the highly controversial new tourist development planned for the Armação de Pera side ever gets underway.

Incidentally, it is difficult to envisage any new tourist development being built, let alone prospering, when one walks around the bankrupt existing one - the sprawling CS Herdade dos Salgados on the Albufeira side of the lagoon.

It comprises a newly built hotel and block after block after block of holiday apartments – all standing eerily empty and abandoned amid a forest of withering palm trees and gigantic weeds. What a depressing monument to the shambolic times in which we live. 

Unique system to find missing children launched in Portrugal

 An innovative Anglo-Portuguese scheme to strengthen child safety and rapidly trace children who get lost or go missing has just been launched. Already it is has attracted considerable interest among parents, municipal authorities and large companies.

Based on Android smartphone and Apple iPhone technology, the scheme has been rolled out in Portugal with a view to expanding it throughout Europe and beyond.

The system is called KiSH – Kids in Safe Hands. It has been devised by an English computer expert, Steve Jones, in conjunction with the Portuguese association for missing children (APCD) and with the co-operation of the Portuguese judicial police.

Mr Jones believes the KiSH system is better than anything similar operating in the UK . He says he chose to launch in Portugal partly because of the legacy of the Madeleine McCann case, which has unfairly tainted the country’s child safety image and damaged tourism.

He is working in close association with Dr Patricia de Sousa Cipriano, a dynamic young Portuguese lawyer, mother of two and founder- president of the APCD.  Margarida Durão Barroso, wife of the president of the European Commission, is vice president of the association.

KiSH works by parents downloading an ‘app’ that allows them to enter a photograph and a description of each of their children. This data is automatically coded and registered digitally at KiSH’s global control centre based in the UK.

If a child goes missing, in whatever circumstances – from simply getting lost in a crowd to running away from home or being abducted - a parent can alert the control centre with the press of a button.

Details of the child, including a photograph, are then immediately relayed from the database control centre to security staff at the appropriate location in Portugal.

In extreme cases, such as criminal abductions, the APCD and the   judicial police may stop publication of photographs or information if displaying them publicly is deemed potentially dangerous.

Public and private venues, including shopping malls, sports stadiums and leisure facilities, are being invited to link into the system.

The Lisbon-based Benfica football club has been among the first to join. The international Auchan Group has agreed to bring the more than 40 hypermarket stores it owns in Portugal - the Jumbo and Pão de Açúcar chains - into the project. The system is expected to be introduced to lifeguards on many beaches in the Algarve and elsewhere in Portugal this summer.

Speed is of the essence in the system. If a missing child is not quickly  found by parents or  local security staff, the police in the area will be informed via the APCD.

Steve Jones emphasised that photographs of children would be held only in parents’ phones. Images would be stored in the database purely in code form and only dispensed to security agents if and when parents raise an alarm. Under no circumstances will images be issued to unauthorised personnel.

“Control will always remains in the parents’ hands,” said Mr Jones.

There are more than one and three-quarter million children aged 14 or under in Portugal. The number soars when visitors arrive on holiday.

Even though Portugal is generally a safe country for children, many go missing each year, as in most other countries.  

In addition to reuniting missing children with their distraught parents, the KiSH system will help establish meaningful statistics. It will tabulate not only the numbers of children going missing and why, but also the most vulnerable times and places.

The public authorities thus will have better information on which to base policies for child safety in Portugal.

Parents can join the system by buying an iPhone app from the internet Apple store. The Android smartphone version will soon be available from the Google play website.

The annual fee for parents is €6.99, regardless of the number of children parents are registering.

For more information, please email: lenport@gmail.com

Women much more at risk than men

Data just released by Gallup suggests that almost half the women in Portugal do not feel safe walking alone at night even in the vicinity of their homes.

Fewer than a quarter of men in Portugal feel unsafe in similar circumstances. Portugal thus has one of the highest gender gaps in the world in this regard.

The question posed by Gallup’s polsters: “In the city or area where you live, do you feel safe walking  alone at night or not?”

In New Zealand, only 50% of women said yes, compared to 85% of men. The gap: 35%

In the United States, 62% of women felt safe against 89% of men, showing a gap of  27%.

In Portugal the figures of 51% for women and 76% for men revealed a gap of 25% - on a par with Ireland, but worse than in the Yemen, Estonia or Slovakia.

New Zealand topped the gender gap; Portugal was equal 12^th.

Worldwide, including many poor and less-developed countries, the  average figures were 62% for women and 72% for men.

Concluded Gallup: “There were double-digit gender gaps in 84 of the 143 countries studied, with broad gender disparities most common among high-income and upper middle-income countries. The implication is that as countries develop socially and economically, expectations of physical security become the norm for all citizens - but in many cases women are less likely than men to feel those expectations are being met.”

Salgados is a matter of common sense

There still seems to be confusion about the situation at Lagoa dos Salgados. There are misconceptions about the lagoon’s vulnerability and what should be done about it.

It’s all fairly simple really.

The biggest threat is not the hotel, villa and golf complex planned for nearby. The real and present danger is that the lagoon itself is being neglected and abused.

Its future could best be assured by designating the area a SPA, a Special Protected Area.  SPAs are places of international importance for breeding, wintering and migrating birds, especially rare or endangered species. SPAs provide enhanced protection under EU law.

Portuguese government authorities have ruled this out. But another reasonably good solution has already been devised. To conserve this wetland habitat, it needs to be properly managed. This was recognised by several key national, regional, municipal and NGO bodies during years of deliberations culminating in an agreement in 2008.

Some of the parties have not abided by the agreement.

The authorities involved must overcome their indifference and ineptness. They must now get their act together. The ministry of  environment must become absolutely committed and insist on proper management and protection.

It is absurd to ignore or let such a popular and ecologically important site disintegrate. It should be coveted as a national, natural treasure.

With a carefully conserved Lagoa dos Salgados, everyone can benefit in all sort of ways - even economically, for goodness sake, as it attracts so many birdwatching tourists and enhances the region's reputation.

It’s only common sense to look after the place.

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Pedro Silvestre, Director of the Salgados golf course, categorically denies that water has been taken from the lagoon, illegally or otherwise , to irrigate the course. He couldn’t use the lagoon water even if he wanted to because it is too salty, he told me today.

He said both the lagoon and the golf course were suffering this summer because of the lack of rainfall last winter and spring, coupled with a shortage of recycled water being passed on from the nearby sewage treatment plant due to the dramatic drop in tourism in the area.

Of the 3,500 cubic metres of recycled water being produced daily, only 700 cubic metres were going to the golf course, the rest to the lagoon. The water from the plant – the golf course’s sole source – was only sufficient to irrigate the tees and greens.

The rest of the water from the plant is clearly not enough to stop the lagoon level receeding.

“It’s the worst year for water I can remember since the course was built in 1994,” said Mr Silvestre.

                                                                                                      

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It goes without saying that the Algarve does not need any more hotels or golf courses. The Praia Grande / Salgados complex will be yet another major blight on the Algarve’s coastline - if and when it goes ahead that is. But in the Lagoa dos Salgados context, it’s not the main problem, provided the already agreed plan is stuck to.

The development was planned years ago. After SPEA, the RSPB, ALMARGEM and others all had their say, the building density was more than halved and a buffer zone inserted between the development and the lagoon.

Before final approval in 2007, there was an opportunity for the public to air opposition. There was no public outcry then. There’s plenty now, but it may be a tad too late.

Public opposition to the ruination of the natural environment along much of the Algarve’s coastline has been muted for decades.

A quote from my ebook People in a Place Apart:

As tourism and the associated construction industry replaced unprofitable farming and unsustainable fishing as the major economic activities, the Algarve was up for grabs. Outsiders moved in big time. Investors and builders - sometimes aided and abetted by incompetent or corrupt local lawyers and politicians - engaged in a frenzy of development, often at the expense of wetlands and other natural habitats. The Portuguese said they would never allow the sort of crass over-development that had occurred along the coast of southern Spain – but did just that, albeit it on a lesser scale.

Standards of living for the Portuguese people in general improved so much and so quickly that few bothered to seriously reflect on what was happening to large areas of their precious environment. By the time organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund, Quercus, and many smaller groups and individuals were able to make their voices heard, bad planning and the misuse of European funding had led to some disastrous decisions. Parts of the ecosystem had suffered irreparable damage with many species being pushed to the verge of extinction.

Salgados - a shoddy and shameful saga

A new spurt of public interest in Lagoa dos Salgados has focused the spotlight once again on a well-known bird site that years of painstaking negotiations have failed to protect.

Portuguese government authorities have long stymied efforts to have the lagoon formally declared a Special Protected Area (SPA) under EU law.

Various governmental and non-governmental bodies have held endless meetings about other ways of conserving Lagoa dos Salgados rather than letting it become destroyed through neglect or overwhelmed by yet more development.

Then in 2008, the RSPB in close collaboration with the Portuguese bird society SPEA, felt able to announce that just one last hurdle remained before a final deal could be struck between all the public and private parties involved in the discussions.

 The hurdle involved control of the water level so that the wetland habitat could be carefully managed for the benefit of the many species of breeding, wintering and migratory birds, as well as many resident and visiting nature lovers.

Since 2008, things seem to have gone backwards.

At the climax of the breeding season this year, the water level was dropping alarmingly. The northern and western end of the lagoon was drying up because of a lack of rainfall and allegedly because a regional water authority was not supplying water from a new treatment plant to the lagoon as well as a neighbouring golf course as previously agreed.

A few weeks ago, SPEA expressed concern about this. The ARH hydrographical administration reacted by putting out a press statement saying it was taking measures to correct the situation.

SPEA accused ARH of lying because the water level continued to drop. It has done so to such an extent that much of the lagoon is now an exposed expanse of cracked earth. 

  There was no explanation from the ARH in Faro or the Portuguese Environmental Agency in Lisbon to which the ARH had deferred questions.

Following a complaint from a member of the public, the GNR’s specialist ‘SOS Ambiente’ unit briefly looked into claims that the neighbouring golf course and private gardens were illegally siphoning off water to the determent of the lagoon. The police saw no reason to take the matter further.

The golf course in question, along with an unfinished hotel and a closed aparthotel currently in the hands of banks, is owned by the CS Group, which is now in administration. The Albufeira municipal council is believed to have cut mains water supplies to the development.

On top of all this came an unexpected announcement at the end of last week from the Silves municipal council about construction of another huge tourist development on the opposite side of the lagoon. The developers, Finalgarve, are expected to start early next year.

The announcement was unrelated to the fact that Lagoa dos Salgados was drying up (though conspiracy theorists have sought to spot a link). However, it sparked an outcry in the form of press reports, an online petition, and a letter from the Almargem environmental group to the EU.

The Finalgarve golf and hotel complex was planned long ago. It was finally approved in 2007 only after the project had been considerably scaled down, with far fewer beds and a buffer zone between the golf course and the edge of the lagoon.

The international financial crisis delayed the start of construction. It was scheduled to start in 2009 and should have been well on its way to completion by now.

The recent go-ahead announcement seemed barely believable given Europe’s deepening financial worries, serious regional tourism troubles, and the unsightly CS "resort" at a standstill on the opposite bank.

Even if the Finalgarve project does go ahead next year, Salgados could have a future as a safe haven for wildlife – but  only if it is kept supplied with water.

For far too long the area has been subject to the vagaries of two municipal councils, two water entities, two major developers and a clutch of ineffective governmental and non-governmental environmental organisations. There has been far too much babble and not enough positive action to finally create a permanent sanctuary.

It has been a shoddy and shameful saga. It’s not too late to save Salgados from greed, ineptness  and stupidity– but there is no lasting solution yet in sight.

Corruption and clear consciences

By a strange coincidence, the most corrupt countries in Europe are the same as those in deepest financial trouble.

It gets more sleazy the more southeast you go. On a global scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the worst possible), the perceived level of public sector corruption in Greece is 3.4. In Italy it’s a bit better at 3.9. Portugal scores 6.1, a point ahead of Spain.

Oddly enough, the corruption level in cash-strapped Ireland is a relatively respectable 7.5, ahead of France and not far behind the UK. Germany is on 8. Norway, Sweden and Denmark are the least corrupt with a score of 9 or more.

Somalia and North Korea, by the way, are rated the most corrupt countries in the world. Afghanistan is not far behind them. But let’s get back to the supposedly civilised world….

Lest you have doubted it even for a moment, Portugal along with Spain, Italy and Greece have - to put it politely - “serious deficits in public sector accountability and deep-rooted problems of inefficiency, malpractice and corruption.”

These words are contained in a new report published in Brussels by the anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International. The organisation is active in more than 100 countries, but this latest report focuses on what it calls “a pan-European problem.”

Transparency International’s managing director, Cobus de Swardt, said the report “raises troubling questions at a time when transparent leadership is needed as Europe tries to resolve its economic crisis.”

The report emphasises that corruption has been allowed to run rampant and undermine economic stability because of close ties between governments and businesses.

After assessing more than 300 national institutions in 25 European countries, Transparency International concluded that many governments were not sufficiently accountable for public contracts believed to be worth a total of €1.8 trillion a year.

Talking with one of the organisation’s volunteers in Lisbon, I learned that crooked ministers and mayors don’t necessarily award contracts to firms in the hope of being slipped a plain brown envelope stuffed with cash. Sometimes it is because of subtle inducements, such as the promise of a lucrative job or other personal perks after retirement from public service.

In other words, corruption, like everything else in life, is not as simple as it used to be. Solving it is not going to be easy. Transparency International’s vision of “ a world in which government, politics, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption” may be a pipe dream.

Only two of the countries assessed for their latest report — Norway and the UK. — adequately protect whistleblowers who have the courage and determination to speak out against corruption.

Unfortunately, Transparency International cannot itself investigate reported cases of wrongdoing. That’s up to national authorities. And, of course, many of them, including police forces and judiciaries, are themselves, eh, riddled with corruption.

All of this helps clear the consciences of us lesser mortals who increasingly these days might be tempted to provide or accept cash for goods or services without official receipts, thus avoiding the inconvenience of VAT.  Anyway, that’s not really corruption. It’s just the normal way of doing things in order to survive, isn’t it? 


First published in Portuguese, German and English in 
Jornal Algarve 123, Edition 733 14 June 2012
www.algarve123.com

Money worries, depression and worse

 It is one of the pinnacle events of the English summer social season, but Charles Harbord, the Harrow-educated aristocrat and former Algarve resident, will not be attending Royal Ascot this month.

He appeared to be in good spirits when photographed at Ascot last year in top hat and tails, with a champagne flute in hand, next to his party-loving daughters, Astrid and Davina.

Appearances can be deceptive, of course. To some outsiders, Charles Harbord was an upper crust snob. Those who knew him better say he was an English gentleman of the sort you don’t often meet any more.

He was not a ‘Champagne Charlie’ as described in the British tabloid press, said one of his old friends in the Algarve, “but he liked a glass or two of wine – just like the rest of us.”

It turns out he also had financial worries - just like the rest of us.

A fortnight ago, Charles Harbord shot himself in his family home near Gillingham in Dorset.  His wife and daughters were devastated.

Charles was a descendant of Harbord Harbord whom Prime Minister William Pitt appointed 1st Baron Suffield in 1786. Charles’ second wife Sarah-Juliet – SJ to her friends – is prominent in children’s charity circles in the UK.

Their two daughters are close friends of Prince Harry.  Even before her romantic attachment to Harry, Astrid was a companion of  Kate Middleton and attended Kate’s hen party before the wedding with Prince William.

Charles  first came to the Algarve as a young man at the end of the late 1960s or early 1970s. He and some of his pals once dressed up in drag for a night on the town in Albufeira. Wearing kaftan dresses, wigs and jewellery, they looked so authentic that they were prevented from entering Albufeira’s renowned Harry’s Bar because the management had a ban on “unescorted women”.

Moving back and forth between England and the Algarve, he lived well without working, seemingly on inherited wealth. When he returned permanently less than 20 years later with his wife and two young daughters, he built  a large, impressive house in the western Algarve.

An enigmatic figure, Charles had successfully sleighed down the mighty Cresta Run in Switzerland. But he was unable to ride a precursor of the jet ski in the calm waters at Meia Praia in Lagos Bay. After falling off several times, he told the owner: “This thing's got some kind of basic instability built into it.” It was Charles who had the instability.

Although in many ways a private man, he opened his Algarve home to art classes with tutors brought out specially from England. He didn’t seem to do it for profit. 

An Algarve businesswoman and artist who regularly attended recalls the Harbords as being utterly charming. “The dinners at their home were delightful and always featured lovely wines, but they were not flamboyant affairs,” she recalls.

Eventually, Charles sold the house and moved with his family into rented accommodation.  All the while the children had been attending a local English-language primary school.  When they were ready for secondary school, the family returned to England for good.

After some years in a magnificent country mansion in Wiltshire, the Harbords sold up and moved to the apartment in a Grade II listed manor house where he chose to die.

Charles Harbord would seem to epitomise the fact that while money cannot buy happiness, a lack of it often causes great unhappiness. In these difficult economic times, an increasing number of people in Portugal, regardless of ancestry, know that only too well.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that in the last 45 years, suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Although suicide has traditionally been highest among men  in Charles Harbord’s age bracket (65 and over), young people are now the group at highest risk in many countries. Youth suicide is increasing at the greatest rate.

Depression is associated with the great majority of suicide cases. Unemployment is one of the main contributing factors. Joblessness fosters feelings of hopelessness. The number of unemployed in Portugal is expected to reach 16 per cent next year.

All that can be said in mitigation is that only a small proportion of people who consider suicide, perhaps one in 200, actually commit it.