It is totally unclear which kind of development plan will transform all this into a green hilly valley. In particular it seems that the evaluation of the natural impact is affected by many irregularities. First of all it doesn't present any alternative about the localisation of the dam, its technical characteristics and its volume. So there has never been a possible choice since the project was presented. No choice, no validity.
Some irregularities are also present in the way of completing the study in the Spanish part.
The only correct way of minimising the negative impacts would be to minimise the dam itself. The menu of the Alqueva restaurant is now completed by the archaeological side. The minimisation resulted in one of the biggest funding sources for the Portuguese archaeology. Five millions euros were granted, and a public competition was presented at the end of 1996 to find so many people to be involved into the job. Deadline to accomplish the work was fixed in three years, i.e. at the end of the 2000.