Alqueva: Changing Ecologies of the Montado Landscape

In the past decade the Alqueva Dam, located in Alentejo, Portugal, brought a tremendous landscape change in three important sectors: environmental, social and economic. While the dam and reservoir is a project that was carefully executed, there are certain issues which need to be monitored/rectified as the reservoir goes into its 5th straight year with full capacity. The Alentejo region is currently under threats from environmental stresses (drought, climate change and habitat disturbances), social stress (with declining population in nearby villages) and is also struggling to attract people to this economically backward region in Portugal. This report presents analysis and recommendations proposed by Environmental Planning students from UC Berkeley to create and revise holistic strategies that measure the effects of the dam and future proposals to improve human access and ecological values of the Alentejo region.

Read the full report here.