The process began with the RENSUB project, which concluded that the Armação de Pêra Bay and surrounding areas were the most productive and biodiverse along the Algarve coast. Based on our experience with other MPAs and analysis of the global panorama, it was also evident that proposing the MPA to the government without going through a stakeholder inclusion process, particularly involving the fishing sector, would not be worthwhile for the future efficiency of the MPA.

After an early start in the early 2010s, and in collaboration with the Oceano Azul Foundation, and with the support of the Municipalities of Silves, Lagoa, and Albufeira, we promoted a participatory process from 2018 to 2021 involving more than 70 entities. In 2020, due to the pandemic, meetings were held via video conference, many of which were bilateral in nature. During these meetings, the vision, objectives, and a proposal for regulations and zoning were established through compromises among all participants, and a proposal for the Algarve Marine Natural Park - Pedra do Valado Reef was submitted to the government in May 2021.

The process was innovative, transparent, and inclusive, with a solid scientific foundation, and received support and contributions from all entities involved. The proposal was discussed in the Parliament, in the agriculture and fisheries committee, and was unanimously supported. The government also expressed its willingness towards an original proposal at the time, and in earlier 2022, at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, the Minister of Environment committed to beginning its implementation this year.

Alongside these political efforts, the AMPIC.COM project continued with the characterization of the biological, ecological, and socio-economic reference situation, and the establishment of a communication plan.