Controlled landslides for cliff stabilisation are a preventative practice that allows an increase in the level of safety, “because the stability of cliffs is unpredictable due to the natural variability of these structures,” the APA said in a statement.

Cliff collapse is frequent along the Algarve coast, especially in the western Algarve, due to weather conditions and the dynamics of the soil itself. According to the Environment authority, observation of the rocky cliffs and recording of mass movements “are often carried out by land, in routine or specific field outings after storms or heavy rainfall, by sea and by air, with continuous photography of the coast at least once a year”.

The Portuguese Environment Agency said that it is also evaluating the intervention in occurrences in recent days, on the beaches of Maria Luísa (Albufeira), Porto de Mós (Lagos) and Salema (Vila do Bispo), in the district of Faro.

The Algarve Hydrographic Region Administration, the Câmara de Albufeira and the Capitania of the Port of Portimão were involved in the operation of the controlled collapse to stabilise the cliff at Arrifes beach in Albufeira.