REWILDING THE SADO ESTUARY SEASCAPE:
COMMUNITY-LED OYSTER BANK AND SEAGRASS
MEADOW CO-RESTORATION

Community led co-restoration of an oyster bank and seagrass meadow

BEGINNING: FEBRUARY 2026

END: ONGOING

This project addresses the loss of key marine habitats, the resulting impairment of ecological connectivity and resilience of the seascapes, crucial for the marine ecosystem services from which all forms of life benefit. The project is design to restore a seagrass meadows and oyster natural banks using a co-restoration approach engaging the local community.

The pilot site of the project, Vale de Éguas, is located within the Sado Estuary site [Site Community Importance (SCI) under the EU Natura 2000 network (code PTCON0011)], within the Natural Reserve of the Sado Estuary (RNES) and within the fishing area of the local communities. This area has key conditions for a community-led co-restoration approach (1). Shellfish harvesting for clams, causing seagrass degradation, stoped in 2019. Since then, the existing patchy seagrass meadow has naturally expanded to a continuous meadow with 3.4 ha. Nearby, a natural functional oyster bank is also developing (2). By improving the oyster bank, seagrass will benefit with reduce hydrodinamism and cleaner water to thrive.

To restore balance, a community-led oyster bank and seagrass co-restoration initiative will be implemented.

Goals:

1) Develop the technical and scientific expertise necessary to implement the first pilot of native oyster and seagrass co-restoration in the Sado estuary, with scalability and potential for replication in other Portuguese estuaries facing similar challenges.
2) Implement the first pilot of native oyster and seagrass co-restoration in the Sado estuary.
3) Assure the long-term sustainability of this initiative, through the creation of a community catalyzed co-restoration solution.

FUNDING:

An Ocean Alive’s initiative in partnership with Patagonia.

PARTNERSHIPS:

This initiative is carried out with the scientific partnership of MARE - Centre for Marine and Environmental Sciences, and Neptun Pearl, a sustainable oyster aquaculture in the Sado Estuary. It also benefits from the support of the ICNF – Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, and the Comporta Parish Council.

ADVISORY:

Seawilding - a community- led native oyster and seagrass restoration project in Loch Craignish has an advisory role in the project.