Last week marked the third meeting of the NaturaConnect.PT Think Tank, a space for reflection dedicated to the opportunities and challenges involved in implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 in Portugal. This working group brings together a broad representation of key decision-makers from the public and private sectors, including the corporate, associative, and third sectors, forming a unique forum for cross-sectoral and extra-institutional dialogue.
The innovative nature of this think tank lies in its ability to bring together, around the same table, a diverse set of relevant actors in the field of conservation who do not typically engage in direct and horizontal dialogue. By operating outside the formal institutional framework, this space fosters free and constructive reflection, enabling the recognition of shared interests, the identification of structural barriers, and the co-design of more realistic and broadly supported solutions to the challenges facing biodiversity policy in Portugal.
The first meeting, held in Évora, focused on a broad discussion of the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy in the Portuguese context. The second meeting, which took place at the Tapada de Mafra, addressed the challenges of conservation financing. The results of that meeting are available here.
The most recent meeting, held at the Vale Madeira Rewilding Centre, focused on one of the least understood objectives of the Strategy: the need to ensure that one third of protected areas is managed under strict conservation criteria. The most relevant outcomes of this discussion will be shared soon.