Dear Editor,
After the long dry summer, the lagoon at Garrão in front of Dunas Douradas Beach Club is nearly dry. This is a natural condition, however; the lagoon is no longer in its natural state from which it can recover.
Human development has caused massive amounts of sand to be washed into the lagoon.
Vegetation was removed and earth left bare so that large amounts of sand have been washed out and transported to the lagoon.
There is also a large culvert that drains under the road from the beach club. This drained the beach club site during the development phase and introduced more sand.
The outflow of this has been cleared in the past but only by pushing the sand into the lagoon.
The sand has raised the floor of the lagoon causing it to dry out more quickly and allow tall grasses to establish which are advancing towards the centre. Soon there will be a complete loss of feeding grounds for wading birds and other sea birds. The sight of Spoonbills feeding was always atreat and may be lost forever.
This is a tragic loss of habitat for wildlife and the community. I urge the authorities to investigate the situation and take action to restore its balance, before it is too late.
Martin Seligman
Almancil
