HZF & Sintra This iconic municipality of Greater Lisbon in mainland Portugal is characterized by great diversity: from intense urban concentration near the capital to its National Park coastal borders (shared to the North with Mafra and its Ericeira World Surfing Reserve and to the South with neighbor municipality Cascais and the Parque Natural Sintra/Cascais) to its UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized area. A recent partnership with Fundação OceanoAzul and the Cascais and Mafra Municipalities puts it poised to be one of mainland Portugal’s greatest MPAs.

Sintra’s link back to Arab and Christian civilizations perfectly positions this Hope Zone to naturally grow into Nature and Sustainable Tourism operations. This inspired our commitment to being part of the movement to create a Marine Protected Area from Cascais to Mafra: a Hope Zone along the west coast of the Lisbon metropolitan area that will become a well-functioning marine protected area covering both land and sea. Well-functioning means that: harmony between scientifically based biodiversity, local business, residents, and visitors is being ensured. For this purpose, our work will focus on helping to certify local businesses for sustainability as well as contributing to the assessment by FundaçãoOceanoAzul of marine biodiversity and the significant economic impact of Nature tourism. This allows policymakers to evaluate the unique natural assets of the region and thereby develop economic tools to protect them in collaboration with local communities. The ambition of Sintra’s municipality to include the ocean in its tourist and natural assets leverages the potential of this Hope Zone.