Almansor River Residents’ Association (AMORA)

AMORA’s goal is to regenerate the local river, so its people can swim in it again! 30 years ago, people swam and fished in it and children could play near the water and Nature. Nowadays, the river’s colour is black, its scent stinky, the fish are all gone, and the water quality is consistently rated ‘bad’.

Last year, a water sewage system broke in the Portuguese city of Montemor-O-Novo. Faced with yet another river ravage, the local community started organising and actively pushing for the river to be cleaned – acting from both practical and political approaches.

Around 40 people, many who live on the waterfront, gathered to begin establishing new forms of collective land management through deliberative and horizontal democracy. They believe that only through social and ecological regenerative practices will it be possible to regenerate the river and everything it represents.
AMORA seeks to:

• Map pollution spots and act on them.
• Clean and regenerate the river.
• Participate in public consultations and organize public gatherings.
• Raise funds to regenerate water courses across the entire basin, securing access to collective tools, a tree nursery and a thematic library.
• Press local politicians to make this issue a priority.
• Widely share practices, strategies and documents that help and inspire other citizen-led river-protection movements across the country – act local, agitate global!

This has already seen some success – population and local politicians have gotten on board, leading to the creation of a municipal environmental council – the first ever in the town.

In five years, they want to be able to swim in the river again – and inspire others to do the same!