The Iberian Southwest: Alentejo-Algarve-Andalucía (A3).

OCASO focuses on the cooperation area belonging to the Euroregion Alentejo-Algarve-Andalucía (A3). This region with 130.000 km² extends along 1.500 km coastline presenting a great natural diversity: beaches, inlets, cliffs, marshes and estuaries, mountain ranges and valleys articulated around the two great catchment basins, Guadalquivir and Guadiana rivers. The coastal zone concentrates most of the nearly 10.000.000 population, and to a large extent also the economic activity and infrastructures in this region. Three geographic features of strategic relevance determine its coastal and marine domain: the Strait of Gibraltar, the Gulf of Cádiz and the Cape Saint Vincent, whose peculiarities determine the local oceanographic and meteorological conditions (estuarine frontal zones, coastal upwelling, tidal processes, wind waves, internal waves, storms events, etc.) influencing local population way of life and economic activities.

The singularity of this coastal and marine area arises in the great diversity and relevance of the existing coastal spots. This is the reason why this region harbors one of the largest European protected coastal areas network, accounting for 165 protected areas amounting a total extension of around 30.000 km². At the same time the strategic character of the A3 coastal zone makes the adjacent marine space a very important maritime corridor with a very high density of maritime traffic, including oil tankers. Additionally, coastal activities such as aquaculture, artisanal fishing and tourism play a dominant role in the local economy. All this implies a high vulnerability to natural (storm surges, tsunamis, etc.) and anthropic (oil spills, bacterial pollution, etc.) hazards. This makes it necessary to have the most precise information for planning, harmonizing the uses and managing the resources for a sustainable development of the coastal zone in this region.

This set of common conditions settles up the common challenges across the border, among them R&D, higher education, employment, environment, tourism, marine and wind energies and fishing and aquaculture.