Garducho Biological Station
In the heart of the Alentejo, the Centro de Estudos de Avifauna Ibérica – CEAI (Iberian Birdlife Study Centre) is a sanctuary for species threatened with extinction.
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The story of the project dates back to 1997. An old border control post was bought by the Centro de Estudos de Avifauna Ibérica (CEAI) with a view to turning it into something to promote nature conservation, precisely because it was strategically located in a very important ecological area. Carla Janeiro, president of the CEAI board and coordinator of the project based in the Mourão district in the Alentejo, gives us plenty of reasons why the project should take off in the region: “It’s a breeding haven for many species that are under threat, like the Iberian imperial eagle, the common crane, the Bonelli eagle, the bustard, the bittern and the black-breasted sandgrouse. It was also here that the last vestige of the Iberian lynx was found, around five years ago”.
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Valued at over a million euros and co-funded by the Alentejo Regional Operational Programme, this project uses modern architecture that blends in with the beauty of the landscape. During the construction of the building “environmentally friendly solutions were employed”: for example, rainwater was collected in the cistern tank to be re-used; also electricity is generated by solar power. Economic materials were used, with a cork agglomerate for insulating purposes, which avoided the need for double walls. The artist Fernanda Fragateiro has also been involved, inserting parts of text from the book Breves Notas Sobre Ciência (Brief Notes about Science) by Gonçalo M. Tavares.
The station will house a permanent interactive exhibition “which aims to stimulate the five senses and the curiosity of children and adults”. With the motto “Making the unseen visible”, the exhibition will reveal details and characteristics of each species in order to understand their importance in the ecosystem, which man also depends upon. The coordinator of the project believes that “there are aspects that should be experienced in order to better understand them, such as the texture of the fur of a mammal or the gentleness of a corn-field in the breeze”. The exhibition asks for visitors to get to know the species through locally-organised walks, where you can come into close contact with the surrounding flora and fauna and their respective habitats. There will be seminars, workshops, training courses and research and conservation projects that mainly deal with threatened species.
When it is fully operational, CEAI will create new jobs, contributing to the region on the left bank of the Guadiana. Being a centre of attraction for schools and tourism it will help revitalise the region’s hotel and restaurant industry.
CEAI – Centro de Estudos da Avifauna Ibérica
Rua Raimundo, 119
+351 266 746 102
www.ceai.pt/ebg
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by Maria João Veloso
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