http://hdl.handle.net/10174/14297 Sun, 15 Nov 2026 15:57:49 GMT 2026-11-15T15:57:49Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42706 Title: Mapping social media narratives of place: community voices from Lagoa de Albufeira, Portugal Authors: Oliveira, Daniel; Teixeira, Zara; Mesquita, Mônica Abstract: This paper investigates how community perceptions of a peri-urban coastalscape are narrated in digital environments. Focusing on the Lagoa de Albufeira in Sesimbra, Portugal, this study employs a netnographic approach to explore discussions within local Facebook groups. Posts, images, and comments are examined as forms of Social Media Geographic Information (SMGI), providing insight into how the online community interpret social-ecological change and everyday interactions with the place. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s notion of generative themes, recurrent patterns of concern and aspiration are identified, ranging from environmental vulnerability to issues of access, memory, and identity. These themes are translated into creative thick representations—visual narratives that combine text, maps, archives, and imagery to capture the density of local spatial knowledge. The representations culminate in a cultural map of the Lagoa de Albufeira, offering an alternative account of the place that foregrounds community voices and more-than-human relations. The paper contributes in three ways: first, by advancing SMGI as a critical entry point for understanding how local communities articulate place-based concerns online; second, by operationalising Freirean generative themes as a methodological tool to structure a digital ethnography; and third, by proposing cultural mapping through creative thick representations as a means to foreground community voices in peri-urban coastalscapes. Ultimately, it argues that such mappings offer not only new insights into coastal sustainability but also pathways for epistemic justice. Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42706 2026-02-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42704 Title: Are intertidal habitats keeping up with nutrient export? Insights from modelling climate and management scenarios Authors: Afonso, Filipa; Teixeira, Zara; Austen, M.Clare; Broszeit, S.; Antunes, Carlos; Rocha, C.; Brito, Ana C. Abstract: Habitat loss and eutrophication are major threats to estuarine systems leading to biodiversity decline and loss of ecosystem services. These stressors are particularly severe in estuaries situated in highly urbanised and agriculture-dominated landscapes. While several studies have assessed nutrient dynamics in estuaries, few have focused specifically on the role of intertidal habitats as buffer areas, highlighting the novelty of this study by assessing if nutrient retention abilities of buffer habitats are able to keep up with the high nutrient export from nearby land-uses. This study employs two InVEST models (Nutrient Delivery Ratio and Habitat Quality). Scenarios also employed different management strategies and climate-change simulations to assess alterations in nutrient export and habitat quality. Agricultural and grazing fields were the largest sources of nutrients into the system, while intertidal habitats, particularly saltmarshes, exhibited high nutrient retention rates (> 80 %). Nutrient export was most severely affected by management scenarios, particularly Business-as-usual and Ecological Protection, while no significant changes were observed in Climate-change scenarios. Contrarily, habitat quality declined under the Economic Development scenario. For example, filamentous algae lost 22.02 % of area under excellent conditions. Nutrient export remained unaffected by the Economic Development Scenario. Saltmarshes were consistently of high quality, while seagrasses were in poorer condition (less than 1 % of the seagrass area was under excellent conditions). This study also revealed that intertidal habitats are keeping up with nutrient export, however, the upraising impacts of climate and land-use changes require update management strategies that actively change the practices in the region. Insights from such modelling approaches can aid decision-makers, offering guidance for developing policies regarding conservation of natural habitats and sustainable agriculture practices. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42704 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42698 Title: Cultural Mapping and the Sustainability of Coastalscapes: A Conceptual Approach Authors: Oliveira, Daniel; Teixeira, Zara; Mesquita, Mônica Abstract: Coastal regions, plentiful in ecological and economic value, have long been hubs for human settlement, recreation, and tourism. However, the growing threats of global climate change and urbanisation are endangering the sustainability of these vital coastalscapes. With nearly two-thirds of the global population living in coastal areas, there is an urgent need for innovative management strategies. This paper explores the critical role of local spatial knowledge, incorporating diverse cultural aspects such as memories, experiences, and oral traditions, to address the challenges confronting these regions. Cultural Mapping (CM) is introduced as a dynamic methodology – transcultural and transdisciplinary – facilitating creative representations of coastalscapes and serving as a vital tool for understanding the complex, reciprocal relationships between people, more-than-human entities, and places. CM reveals the deep-rooted connections that shape coastal communities’ identities and sustainability practices by documenting intangible cultural resources and capturing the emotional and sensory dimensions of coastal environments. Drawing on the pioneering work of Pam Hall (2013) and incorporating insights from an in-depth scholarly literature review, this paper underscores the potential of CM to transform both research practices and policymaking. It offers a new lens for sustainability in coastal regions, paving the way for future studies and innovative, community-driven management strategies that engage a diversity of knowledge systems in addressing pressing environmental challenges. Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42698 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42689 Title: Do birds respond to the urban stream syndrome? Authors: Santos, Jorge M.; Feio, Maria João; Calapez, Ana R.; Serra, Sonia R. Q.; Zerega, Andreína; Teixeira, Zara; Ramos, Jaime A. Abstract: Riparian vegetation acts as a transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and plays an important role in ecosystem functioning. In this study, we aimed to assess the response of bird communities to the ecological degradation of stream ecosystems by urbanisation, and assess their potential as ecological indicators of lotic ecosystems beyond aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. For that purpose, we selected 15 urban streams (Coimbra, Portugal), covering an urbanisation gradient. We performed a bird survey to characterise existing communities in the riparian areas and stream channels. In addition, we characterised the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities, a well-established biological quality element of rivers, the physicochemical quality of the water, the hydromorphological conditions and riparian vegetation structure. The bird assemblage composition was strongly influenced by riparian vegetation cover, habitat quality and hydromorphological alterations. The number of insectivorous bird species was positively associated with tree and shrub cover, and negatively correlated with riparian degradation, while those of granivorous birds increased in more urbanised areas and degraded ecosystems. Multidimensional patterns of bird assemblages in the urban streams could be discriminated into two groups, which were related to either better or poorer environmental conditions. There was only a partial correspondence of these patterns with the biological quality classification of streams given by the macroinvertebrate data. A biological-environmental correlation analysis further highlighted that riparian vegetation structure and composition, along with hydromorphological quality and water quality, explained the composition of both bird and invertebrate assemblages, although the former were more relevant for the bird communities. We conclude that bird distribution may provide valuable information on riparian integrity and may serve as a complementary tool for the evaluation of the ecological condition of urban streams. Mon, 06 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10174/42689 2026-07-06T23:00:00Z