Nature ParkRed internacional de conservación

Ria Formosa

Iberian Peninsula (Algarve)Declared in 1987170 km²

A system of coastal lagoons sheltered from the Atlantic swell by a chain of barrier islands, a critical refuge for the European common chameleon

Area

170 km²

Declared in

1987

Region

Iberian Peninsula (Algarve)

Climate

Templado, Mediterráneo

Plan your visit

Area: 170 km²

Highlight

A system of coastal lagoons sheltered from the Atlantic swell by a chain of barrier islands, a critical refuge for the European common chameleon

Declared in 1987, Ria Formosa protects a system of coastal lagoons in the Algarve, separated from the Atlantic by a chain of constantly shifting sandy barrier islands, forming a maze of channels navigable only at high tide. It is one of the few European refuges of the common chameleon, an isolated and genetically distinct population possibly introduced centuries ago by Arab or Phoenician traders, whose presence in southern Portugal remains the subject of scientific debate as to its exact origin.

Location

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2 dive sites within 300 km are also shown.

346 species documented in Ria Formosa

20 Mammals157 Birds12 Reptiles7 Amphibians19 Cartilaginous fish56 Fish4 Cephalopoda14 Bivalvia21 Malacostraca3 Cirripedia8 Gastropoda1 Hydrozoa2 Holothuroidea1 Insecta2 Echinoidea1 Calcarea2 Asteroidea1 Anopla3 Polychaeta2 Petromyzontida1 Crinoidea3 Scyphozoa1 Myxini2 Ophiuroidea1 Thaliacea2 Anthozoa

At conservation risk:Aguja azul del Atlántico,Angelote,Anjova,Atún rojo,Bacalao del Atlántico,Caballito de mar europeo,Cazón,Dentón,Esturión europeo,Guitarra común,Jurel,Langosta europeaand 18 more