Portugal Faces Extreme Weather Events: TERRA Highlights the Need to Adapt Land Management at Its Annual Meeting

April 27, 2026

O Laboratório Associado TERRA assinalou o Dia Mundial da Terra, a 22 de abril, com o seu Encontro Anual, uma sessão dedicada aos impactos crescentes das intempéries e eventos climáticos extremos em Portugal. O encontro reuniu investigadores, decisores públicos e representantes institucionais no Auditório Orlando Ribeiro (IGOT ULisboa), promovendo um espaço de reflexão sobre os desafios que o país enfrenta e as soluções que a ciência pode oferecer.

Key discussion: Understanding extreme events and developing effective responses

The roundtable discussion “From Shock to Adaptation: Responding to Floods, Droughts, Storms, and Wildfires in Portugal” was the highlight of the program. The discussion highlighted the need to adapt public policies and management mechanisms to the scale and complexity of extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly frequent and interdependent.

José Luís Zêzere, director of the Centre of Geographical Studies (CEG) and a researcher at TERRA, warned of the increasing severity of these events and the importance of an integrated view of the territorial system. Taking a rural fire as an example, such an event will reduce the soil’s infiltration capacity, contributing to the intensification of subsequent floods. Nevertheless, one trend is clear: “Portugal’s future points to serious drought problems, even considering the occurrence of episodes of extreme precipitation.” In this context, recovery strategies must prioritize resilience in the face of drought events.

The roundtable also highlighted three essential pillars for an effective response: prevention, planning, and adaptive management, including measures such as firefighting, dam flow management, and increasing water retention in the soil.

The participation of the Estrutura de Missão “Reconstrução da região Centro do País”, represented by Paulo Fernandes, brought to the panel the operational perspective of those on the ground managing overburdened territories, highlighting the challenges of post-storm recovery and the urgency of discussing measures to protect populations and economic activities in a scenario of constant risk.

Photos: Laboratório Associado TERRA

TERRA and the Municipality of Odemira Sign a Memorandum of Understanding

During the meeting, a Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Municipality of Odemira and the TERRA Associate Laboratory, reinforcing their joint commitment to developing scientific and educational initiatives and promoting regional development.

The partnership reinforces the commitment to public policies grounded in scientific evidence and to creating synergies that promote sustainable development.

New Policy Briefs reinforce the scientific contribution to public policy

The 2026 Annual Meeting also featured the presentation of new policy briefs produced by TERRA researchers, offering strategic recommendations in key areas for territorial resilience:

Green cities and urban resilience
Sustainable agroforestry systems
Nature-based solutions

These documents stem from the work carried out at the TERRA Policy Hub meeting, reinforcing the Associate Laboratory’s mission to produce knowledge geared toward solving real-world problems and supporting public decision-making.

“A special moment to reflect on the future” — a reflection by TERRA’s Executive Director

The TERRA Annual Meeting has established itself as a forum for dialogue and mobilization, fostering collaboration between research, public policy, and on-the-ground action.

Paulo Branco, Executive Director of TERRA, highlighted the importance of the Annual Meeting in the current climate context:

“World Earth Day is a special opportunity for TERRA to come together and intentionally reflect on a more sustainable collective future. This year, in particular, the focus has been on how cyclical extreme events are, and will continue to, influence the national territory.”

He also emphasized TERRA’s willingness to collaborate with the Mission Structure in developing solutions based on the best available scientific knowledge.