Portugal's Alentejo region launches 49 youth environmental volunteer projects

The Regional Directorate of the Alentejo branch of the Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth (IPDJ) approved 49 projects under the Youth Volunteering for Nature and Forests programme. The initiatives are distributed across Alto Alentejo (17 projects), Alentejo Central (15), Baixo Alentejo (15) and Alentejo Litoral (2). They aim to involve young people in environmental protection and rural fire prevention through activities such as park clean‑up, recycling, circular‑economy education and forest patrols on foot or bicycle.

An online sensitisation session held on 8 July attracted about 70 participants. July sees the start of 27 projects—over half of the total—coinciding with the period of highest fire‑risk. Applications for new projects remain open for youth associations, parish councils and municipalities.

These efforts are part of a broader push to increase youth involvement in safeguarding natural heritage and raising community awareness of environmental issues in the Alentejo region.