A rocky Atlantic coast and adjoining marine park within Arrábida Natural Park, protecting reefs, sheltered bays, seagrass, sandy seabed and diverse coastal fish and invertebrate communities.
Arrabida
Why it is protected
Conserve representative rocky-reef, seagrass and soft-sediment ecosystems along the Arrábida coast.
Protect marine biodiversity while managing fishing, recreation and coastal use through spatial rules.
Habitats and significant life
Habitats: Rocky reef, Seagrass meadow, Sandy seabed, Sea cave, Sheltered bay.
Significant species: Dusky grouper, European conger, Common octopus, Seagrass communities, Reef fishes.
Rules and activities
Fishing, boating, diving and shore recreation are managed through the marine park’s zoning and sectoral rules.
Visitors must consult current park and maritime regulations because permitted activities vary by zone.
Governance
Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests; Arrábida Natural Park; Municipal and maritime authorities.
Pressures
Fishing pressure; Anchoring and seabed disturbance; Boating; Recreational pressure; Climate-driven ocean change.
Protection effectiveness
These dimensions are intentionally separate: a valid designation or active management program does not, by itself, prove ecological recovery.
Habitats and marine life connections
Ecologically related protected areas
These places share documented habitat types or the same ocean region. The relationship is ecological context, not proof of direct connectivity.
Condition and evidence
MLL reports what the available evidence supports. It does not infer ecological health from designation or mapped coverage.
Insufficient evidence
Place-specific ecology and management evidence has been reviewed, but the available indicators do not support a single current ecological trend for the whole protected area.
Ecological Condition
Insufficient evidenceMarine habitats and use pressures require separate indicators; no single trend assigned
- Evidence period
- Current evidence review
- Geographic scope
- Protected feature or area described by the source
- Confidence
- limited
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-12
How to read this: Insufficient evidence means the available evidence cannot support a conclusion. It does not mean the MPA is in poor condition.
Marine habitats and use pressures require separate indicators; no single trend assigned. Confidence: limited. Reef communities, seagrass, fisheries and visitor pressures require separate indicators.
Sources
Arrábida Natural Park — Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests. Verified 2026-09-13.