Quarry mining or nature conservation, emerging conflicts in Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park (Portugal)

This exploratory study examines the socio-territorial conflicts arising from the competition between quarry mining and nature conservation in the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park in Portugal. The study utilises content analysis of semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and the snowball technique to estimate the population size and understand the relationships between actors. The findings reveal tensions between mining companies, park authorities, and local communities, resulting in socio-territorial conflicts in the protected area. The study highlights the need for clear outcomes from local development initiatives and the challenges of reconciling mining and conservation in land-use planning policies. This research contributes to the literature gap on non-metalliferous mining activities and environmental conflicts in the study area. Overall, it emphasises the unequal distribution of social and environmental costs associated with extractive activities, underscoring the importance of understanding the dynamics that influence socio-territorial conflicts in highly protected areas.