Site Autárquico Loulé

Protected Areas

Around 51.3% of the land in the municipality of Loulé is classified as protected areas, encompassing a huge variety of habitats, with a wealth of fauna, flora, geological heritage and other resources that are worth discovering.

From the uplands to the coast, there are several such landscapes and protected areas that deserve to be highlighted. These include Local Protected Areas (the Rocha da Pena Protected Local Landscape and the Fonte Benémola Protected Local Landscape), the Ria Formosa Nature Park and the Natura 2000 Network.

  • Natura 2000 Network

    The Natura 2000 Network is a European ecological network comprising: Special Protection Areas, under the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC, of 2 April 1979), the aim of which is to protect birds and their habitats; and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC, of 21 May 1992), which aims to protect the natural ...

    Know more

  • The Ria Formosa Nature Park

    The Ria Formosa's environmental, scenic, economic and cultural importance is undeniable.   The Ria Formosa Nature Park (RFNP) is the biggest and most important wetland in the Algarve. It lies between Ancão, in the municipality of Loulé, and Manta Rota, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António.  ...

    Know more

  • Rocha da Pena Protected Local Landscape

    The Rocha da Pena Protected Local Landscape is located in the civil parishes of Salir and Benafim, covering an area of 637 hectares of transitional land between the Barrocal and the Algarve Serra (uplands).   This Protected Local Landscape was created with aim of preserving and protecting the physical, aesthetic, scenic and biological ...

    Know more

  • Fonte Benémola Protected Local Landscape

    The Fonte Benémola Protected Local Landscape is an area with unique characteristics located on the edge of the transitional area known as the Barrocal. It is a place of rare beauty in the Algarve Barrocal, featuring biotopes that are of considerable interest not only in terms of geology and scenery but also because of the fauna and ...

    Know more