On May 27 2021, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the municipalities of Bombarral, Cadaval, Caldas da Rainha, Lourinhã, Peniche and Torres Vedras, with the aim of establishing the terms of cooperation, within the framework of the dynamization of the aspiring Geopark West, its management structure and its application to UNESCO World Geopark.

The protocol session was held in parallel to the meeting of the Intermunicipal Council of the Intermunicipal Community of the West, with the presence of the twelve West municipalities, marking another important phase in the path that will culminate with the presentation of the candidacy of this territory to UNESCO World Geopark. 

The President of the Board of AGEO – West Geopark Association, João Serra, showed optimism in the project by saying “I believe that the dynamics promoted by this project will bring to the territory a very important social, economic and scientific dynamic for the sustainable development of the region.”

The aspiring Geopark West comprises the municipalities of Bombarral, Cadaval, Caldas da Rainha, Lourinhã, Peniche and Torres Vedras, a total of 1154 km2, welcoming about 212,000 inhabitants. Its main geological base is the Jurassic period, where fossils discovered throughout its territory and outcrops of international recognition give body to more than 70 geosites already raised. But this aspiring West Geopark is not only dinosaurs, and the cultural, material and immaterial heritage present here are a regional and national reference in its different dimensions.