The Covelo Pond, situated in Parque do Covelo, is a body of water of great environmental importance as it is home to one of the few populations of the Swiss newt (Lissotriton helveticus) in the city of Porto, a species classified as ‘Vulnerable’ at national level.
During the pond’s restoration work carried out in 2023, aquatic plant species were introduced, such as creeping water-plantain (Baldellia repens), Hanging sedge (Carex pendula), jointed rush (Juncus articulatus), bulbous rush (Juncus bulbosus), aquatic rush (Juncus heterophyllus) and forget-me-not (Myosotis secunda). In addition to its diverse flora, this body of water is also a habitat for amphibian species such as the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans).
The Covelo Pond forms part of the Covelo Centre for Sustainability Education (CE.ES), which also features an educational vegetable garden. As such, the amphibians living in the pond play a vital role in controlling insects, particularly agricultural pests.
Furthermore, this body of water serves environmental functions including the conservation and promotion of biodiversity, thermal regulation and the collection of rainwater.
The rehabilitation of the pond was carried out as part of the MoRe Porto project, now known as Água com Vida Porto. The main objectives of this collaboration are to increase knowledge of the city’s wetlands, mapping, biological inventory and characterisation, with a view to adopting conservation and restoration measures and creating new water bodies.
