Citizens of a medieval village in Portugal have made a decision that is an example for other communities in the world with valuable ore in the soil. Leave uranium in the ground.

Nisa, a beautiful village north of Alentejo in Portugal. At the mediaeval gates of Nisa there is a large uranium deposit, but the population has decided to leave the uranium on the ground in favor of sustainable development based on the region’s natural products such as beef, goat and sheep, milk, cheese, sausages, hams and olives.

When mining companies became interested in the Nisa deposit at the beginning of the 21st century, the local movement „Urânio em Nisa Não” influenced the City Hall and the City council to declare that uranium exploration in the region will never be allowed.

„Keep it in the ground!“ is Nisa’s powerful message. Sustainable use of above-ground natural wealth is more valuable than below-ground ore, which would provide only short-term money but would leave the region with no future. That is why Nisa and its movement „ Urânio em Nisa Não“ received the international „Nuclear-Free Future Award“ in 2012.