Created in 2015 this project aims at:

• Restore Montado ecosystem through tree planting.
• Generate income for farmers through productive tree planting.
• Promote sustainable agriculture and agroforestry systems.
• Improve landscape scenic beauty .

“It is a great suport for us, smallholders, so we can broaden our horizons and support our planet.” – Tânia Costa

CONTEXT

Southern Portugal is notably known for the Montado landscape, a historical silvopastural system implemented for centuries in the Alentejo and Algarve regions as well as in the south west of Spain.

As cork oak is the main crop cultivated within the Montado, Portugal is the leading exporter of cork, providing about 50% of the world’s cork supply.

The southern part of the country is severely impacted by climate change with dire consequences: irregular raining season and then dry summers leading to a higher number of fires, desertification, biodiversity loss... Moreover, a growing number of hectares of Montado landscapes are cleared by Spanish companies, attracted by the lower value of land compared to Spain, in order to plant super intensive olive trees plantation.

Therefore, the need to plant trees within agroforestry system such as the Montado system is crucial to slow down the deterioration of the local ecosystems.