The Espelho de Água da Fonte da Seiceira, in Ameixial, in the interior of Loulé municipality, combines water, vegetation and shade to create a naturally cooler public space during the hottest days of the year.

The project was highlighted this week by SIC Notícias as an example of how communities can adapt to extreme heat. While the initiative is receiving renewed attention during the current period of high temperatures, the refuge itself is not new.

It was inaugurated in 2016 following an investment of around €50,000 and has been providing a cooler meeting and leisure space for the community for the past decade.

Agroportal, citing information from Terracrua Design, reports that the idea dates back to 2014, when a participatory planning process was carried out in Ameixial. During the process, the local community identified the restoration and improvement of Fonte da Seiceira, a spring known locally for generations, as one of its priorities.

Residents later selected the project through the Participatory Budget of the Municipality of Loulé.

The resulting space combines water with mature vegetation, green areas and places to sit, helping to create lower and more comfortable temperatures during the summer.

Today, the area is used by both local residents and visitors. It also includes a restaurant area and public facilities and has become a meeting point for different generations, while offering an alternative for people looking to escape the heat and the busy beaches of the Algarve coast.

The project is particularly relevant in the Serra do Caldeirão, where summer temperatures can become extremely high.

Agroportal reports that the Ameixial experience is now being presented as an example of how climate adaptation does not always require major infrastructure or multimillion-euro investments. Measures such as restoring springs and waterways, increasing vegetation and shade, and creating comfortable public spaces can also help communities cope with periods of extreme heat.

With heatwaves becoming an increasingly important challenge across Portugal, the renewed attention given to Ameixial shows how a relatively small investment made a decade ago continues to benefit the local community today.