Along the coast stretches the largest lagoon of Portugal : the Ria de Aveiro fragile reservoir of exceptional biodiversity. Nearby, the Estarreja Chemical Complex has grown for more than sixty years, in a densely populated area, where the traditional occupations of farming and fishing still play an important role. What were the consequences of industrial activity on the environment and neighboring populations ? How the relationship between the chemical complex and society have changed ? What future for this precious ecosystem in the era of climate change and the economic crisis ?
To respond to these questions as the CNRS created in collaboration with the University of Aveiro, the Observatory Men-Media International « Estarreja ». It aims to study the multiple impacts of industrial activity on the man-environment relationship in recent decades, to better understand current developments, and why not, « seize the future on the fly ».