“The Jurassic cliffs of the municipality of Lourinhã are places of great interest in the West region, namely due to their geological and landscape characteristics, with emphasis on the richness of fossil finds of dinosaurs and other vertebrates”, justifies the Lisbon district authority.

“The coastline of the municipality of Lourinhã, with the exception of the dune sections, has a high paleontological potential, scientifically and publicly recognised by the finds that have taken place in recent decades, giving it an international projection in the panorama of geological heritage”.

According to the management regulation of the protected area, alterations to the morphology of the cliffs are prohibited; the collection and transport of geological samples; digging, cutting, extracting, surveying or exploiting geological resources; excavations, embankments and destruction of vegetation cover; the dilapidation of goods or paleontological remains; the abandonment, deposit or leakage of debris or scrap; motorsports activities, mountaineering, abseiling, or climbing.

Prohibited uses, when practiced, become a very serious, severe or minor environmental offence, punishable under the terms of the law.

All acts or activities on the cliffs are now supervised by the Municipality of Lourinhã.

In recent decades, paleontologists have discovered dinosaur fossils, some of which have given rise to new species, and the largest dinosaur nest with the oldest embryos ever found, leading Lourinhã to assert itself as the “capital of dinosaurs” and placing the municipality on the world route of paleontology.