In Upper Alentejo a giant freshwater aquarium serves as a scientific observatory on river life and environmental education centre while at the same time benefiting the local economy through its role as a tourist attraction.
- 01 June 2007
Context
The municipality of Mora (population 5 500) is located about 10 kilometres from Lisbon, in the Evora district of Upper Alentejo. Although hard hit by a rural exodus, economic desertification and the country’s highest unemployment rate due to a prolonged structural crisis affecting all sectors of the economy, Alentejo is not lacking in assets. Among them are its strong cultural identity and remarkable natural heritage.
The construction, on the right bank of the Ribeira da Raia in the Gameiro natural park, of the Mora "Fluviarium" (Fluviário) – Europe’s largest freshwater aquarium and the third largest of its kind in the world – is one of the many initiatives co-financed by the ERDF with the aim of capitalising on this heritage. Originating in a protocol signed in February 2004 between the Mora town council (*) and the Lisbon Oceanarium, the project’s aims were essentially scientific and educational although in practice the Fluviarium is having a positive economic impact on the local community by virtue of its role as a centre of attraction and the tourism, craft, commercial and leisure activities it is set to generate.
Profile of a river
Inaugurated on 21 March 2007 following a major information campaign in the Portuguese media as well as in the neighbouring Spanish region of Estremadure, the building’s exterior design is influenced by the traditional barns found in the Evora region, ensuring it integrates into the rural landscape.
On the inside, it houses a permanent exhibition of aquariums and terrariums designed and equipped for the rearing and close observation of the dozens of species of fish, bacteria, reptiles and mammals of the river environment, from the source to the mouth. In each case the species are presented in natural bioscopes that reproduce the river conditions as faithfully as possible.
When the Amazon flows through Alentejo
Alongside the carp, sturgeon, eels, snakes, otters and other inhabitants that represent the local and European fauna, and the plants representing the flora, the technical sophistication of the Fluviarium is such that it can also provide a home for various species originating in the waters of Africa or Amazonia, such as piranhas and anacondas. All of which arouses the curiosity of the visitors as well as permitting a comparison of ecosystems.
For the benefit of its human visitors, the site is also home to a museum of fishing, a documentation centre, multimedia area, auditorium, meeting rooms for scientific or educational purposes and a range of facilities including restaurant and cafeteria, shops, and parking area for coaches and cars, etc. There are also access roads and a wastewater treatment centre.
Results
Despite the many financial, administrative and technical difficulties that marked the realisation of this ambitious project, the initial results have exceeded expectations. One month after it opened, the Fluviarium – which led to the creation of several dozen direct jobs – had already welcomed 35 000 visitors and the annual figure is expected to be 250 000. Among the most fascinated visitors are the thousands of children from neighbouring schools.
In addition to this success in terms of visitor numbers, the Fluviarium is also a study and research centre for freshwater fauna and flora and their habitats, a role it fulfils in cooperation with scientific and university institutions. For its youngest visitors in particular, it also plays a role in increasing awareness of the environment and environmental occupations as well as of the impact of human activity on aquatic systems and water resources. It is hoped that this awareness will be both educational and also perhaps spark a vocational interest. The centre also helps highlight the ecological and social dimensions of local traditions.
(*) To date this is the country’s only local authority to have an integrated system of quality, environmental and security management certified according to international standards.