ZEC
Published 8 November 2026, 22:44
ZEC — Zona Especial de Conservação (special area of conservation)
A protected area in the European Rede Natura 2000 network, created for specific types of habitat, plants and animals. For each ZEC a separate decree sets out what is banned inside it outright and what needs a favourable opinion from ICNF — most often building on rural land, deep ploughing, tree planting, changes of land use, works on wetlands and off-road driving.
Where you come across it. Buying land, building, tree felling, drilling a borehole, farm work on a plot inside a protected area.
The boundaries of a ZEC are set not by the decree that introduces the bans but by an earlier act with a map, so whether a particular plot falls inside should be checked on the ICNF map, not by the name of the municipality. A breach counts as an environmental offence, and the fine is imposed by ICNF.
Official website: icnf.pt