Only 550 people will be able to visit the Berlenga Grande simultaneously
The Berlengas Islands they would come to be like our Cíes: slightly unknown among foreign tourists, but acclaimed by the native traveler.
Thus, this archipelago that rises above the waves of the Atlantic Ocean 10 kilometers from Peniche trembles when summer approaches before the daily arrival of hundreds of people to the Berlenga Grande, its main island and the only one that can be visited.
To preserve the species that inhabit it, the habitat in which they move and guarantee the safety of those who arrive there, the Portuguese government has just limited to 550 the number of people who can disembark at the same time, according to information provided by the Cabinet of the Minister of Environment and Energy Transition of Portugal.
During the summer, hundreds of people arrive every day at its expense
This need to preserve Berlengas Nature Reserve, recognized by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve, is not new. In fact, the limitation of the number of visitors is the result of a process that began in the 1990s and that it has gone through regulations that were pending the publication of a resolution of the member of the government responsible for the area of the Environment.
Taking into account the fragility of island ecosystems and the specific conditions of the archipelago, The University of Aveiro was commissioned to assess the adequate human load that the islands can support. This institution, working together with the Strategic Council of the Reserva Natural das Berlengas, which includes members of public entities, the scientific community and the most representative socioeconomic activities, defined what it considered to be the adequate capacity and which, subsequently, was submitted to public consultation.
With these data on the table, it was approved the resolution that establishes the Human Carrying Capacity in the Reserva Natural das Berlengas and the figure of 550 visitors simultaneous to Berlenga Grande Island, a figure with which we want to respect the species and habitats present in the archipelago and guarantee the safety of the people and support services that are operational on the island.
Within this half a thousand people law enforcement officers are not included in the exercise of interventions related to public security, usual seasonal residents , those who provide some service on the island and the representatives of the official entities that have jurisdiction in the archipelago.
It remains now for determine how this regulation will be developed and access to the land area will be controlled. For this, the cabinets of the members of the government responsible for the area of National Defense, Tourism and Management and Conservation of Nature are working together.
Guaranteeing the safety of those who visit these islands is one of the objectives of this limitation