Currently, there are few places in the Algarve that still preserve and combine natural and cultural values within such an exceptional landscape as Boca do Rio, a remarkable estuary located in the parish of Budens, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo.
In 2023, the Boca do Rio Estate was sold to a real estate investment fund. However, Vila do Bispo Municipal Council intervened in the transaction to halt potential property development plans that could lead to the destruction of the fragile ecosystem and the degradation of the important archaeological context of the area. This process concluded in November 2024, when the municipality exercised its right of first refusal, acquiring the property, spanning over 128 hectares, from the company BDR – Investimentos, LDA, for the amount of €900,000.
Located within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, Boca do Rio is an estuarine complex formed by the confluence of the Vale Barão, Vale de Boi and Budens streams, which meet and flow into the sea at Boca do Rio beach. This forms a wetland area known as Paul da Lontreira, or Paul de Budens. The name Paul da Lontreira derives from the presence of otters, which feed in both the estuary and the sea.
Boca do Rio offers excellent conditions for nature-related activities, providing the opportunity to appreciate the richness of local biodiversity, including flora, birdlife, insects, reptiles and amphibians. The marsh vegetation is dominated by common reed (Phragmites australis) and cattail (Typha spp.). These reed beds are frequented by various wetland bird species, such as the little egret (Egretta garzetta), purple heron (Ardea purpurea), white stork (Ciconia ciconia), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and the zitting cisticola (Cisticola juncidis).
Surrounding the wetland are thickets and patches of forest with strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo), cork oaks (Quercus suber) and pines (Pinus spp.). Among the shrubs and trees in these wooded areas live birds such as the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Sardinian warbler (Sylvia melanocephala), Iberian chiffchaff (Phylloscopus ibericus), azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) and corn bunting (Emberiza calandra). In winter, the penduline tit (Remiz pendulinus) appears, and in summer, the colourful and active European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) can be seen flying over the nearby slopes. This ecosystem is also home to some rarities in the Algarve, such as the Savi’s warbler (Locustella luscinioides), whose song resembles that of a cicada.
Downstream from the wetland lies Boca do Rio beach, with its golden sands and calm waters.
The fishing tradition in the waters of this Mediterranean landscape has been documented since time immemorial. Archaeological research in the area of the present-day Boca do Rio beach has revealed continuous exploitation of marine resources from the Mesolithic period through to almost modern times. Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, people from the Roman world established an important industrial complex here, specialising in the production of fish preserves and other fish-based products such as garum – a sauce made from fermented fish, salt and aromatic herbs. This industry was naturally sustained by fishing activity in these waters. Additionally, salt would have been produced in the estuary.
Later, in the 16th century, the beach served as a base for a tuna trap (almadrava). Tuna fishing structures formed a vital economic activity, regulated under feudal rights by the Portuguese Crown. In the second half of the 18th century, the Marquis of Pombal established a state-owned monopoly to better control this activity: the Companhia Geral das Reais Pescarias do Reino do Algarve (General Company of the Royal Fisheries of the Kingdom of the Algarve).
The archaeological site of Boca do Rio has been known since 1755, when it was exposed by the retreat of the tsunami caused by the great earthquake that occurred on 1 November of that year. It was the subject of pioneering archaeological campaigns in the late 19th century, led by Estácio da Veiga.
Since 2003, with the support of Vila do Bispo câmara and the collaboration of various institutions and universities, archaeological excavations have been conducted at Boca do Rio. These include excavations, cleaning, diagnostics, material collection and protection of the ruins, with the aim of preserving the cultural heritage, especially given the site’s proximity to the sea. In 2017, the research project ‘BRIO/Boca do Rio: a fishing site between two seas’ was launched in partnership with the University of the Algarve, the University of Marburg (Germany), and the câmara. This has led to multiple excavation campaigns and a substantial increase in knowledge about the site, including the discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved Roman port.
With the acquisition of the Boca do Rio Estate, the Vila do Bispo câmara aims to protect, conserve, and sustainably enhance the estuary and its natural, cultural and scenic values. To that end, it is establishing an Environmental and Archaeological Heritage Reserve, managed by the local authority to safeguard its biodiversity, ecosystems, and geological, archaeological, historical and ethnological heritage.
Ricardo Soares is the head archeologist of the Vila do Bispo Museum – Celeiro da História
museu.celeirodahistoria@cm-viladobispo.pt
Main image: Boca do Rio, 2016
