Sixteen years on the creation of the Protected Area of the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina we witness a recurrent confrontation of interests whose result depends on the preservation of the environmental values that justify the existence of the current Natural Park. The objective of this project is to understand how to establish a confrontation between local interests (who are betting on the growth of an industry that in neighboring Algarve has already proved to produce short-term capital gains) and global interests (based on conservation values of nature, but which are seen as alien to local realities and even as obstacles to normal local development) and on which side will be positioned the national central power which, despite the commitments made, shows some signs of openness to the developmental needs of local tourist lobbies.