base menu 2 et 3
Hyphen between Montijo and Alcochete, Samouco
Photography by Claudine Boeglin
Samouco is a fishing village with a riverside promenade bordering wetlands across the estuary's mudflats and tidal waters. The land is part of a natural reserve known for its rich biodiversity and bird habitats.
Samouco's economy, traditionally centered on salt production with the Salinas do Samouco still operational, has diversified its industry with tourism, attracting visitors for birdwatching.
Unfortunately, human littering here too contaminates a land where small boats and bikes with plastic baskets are testimony of the small-scale fishing culture entrenched in Samouco. The infamous soda drink cans and beer bottles miggle next to the boats despite the two large glass bins just behind the food truck Bifanas da Avó (grandma’s pork sandwiches).
Samouco is known for its significant pollution challenges. Environmental groups like proTEJO have highlighted worsening microbiological pollution degrading water quality in the Tagus estuary, negatively impacting biodiversity, fishing—especially of bivalves—and poses public health risks due to contaminated shellfish.
Could collecting the litter be a collective project pairing the municipality to ICNF (the Portuguese Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests) and the volunteers we could gather around this essential task around Christmas and New Year?
Photography Claudine Boeglin @dandyvagabond
Photography and text Claudine Boeglin
