Landscape Restoration in Alentejo
Cultural landscape restoration in Alentejo, Portugal
Works towards ecological restoration of Montado and riparian galleries at a regional level, as well as control invasive alien species. Focus on the creation of partnerships with public and private entities to carry out conservation, recovery, restoration and enhancement projects in sensitive areas that are rich in endogenous heritage.
Context
The Alentejo region is one of the Portuguese territories most exposed to climate change impacts. It is the hottest and driest region in mainland Portugal, with growing pressure on water availability and increasing risks linked to ecosystem degradation and wildfires. Within this context, the Montado represents a unique cultural landscape shaped over centuries by human activity, sustaining a multifunctional agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem dominated by cork oak forests adapted extreme edaphic-climatic conditions.
CARDIMED DEMO 7 addresses these challenges through an integrated restoration approach targeting both Mediterranean riparian ecosystems and Montado habitats. The DEMO is structured into two complementary sub-DEMOs:
- sub-DEMO7.1 focuses on the ecological restoration of Mediterranean water streams, enhancing riparian vegetation, habitat connectivity, and ecological balance through green corridors, riparian buffers, native vegetation restoration, and invasive alien species control.
- sub-DEMO7.2 responds to biodiversity loss and increasing wildfire risk in the Montado by restoring native vegetation, implementing agroforestry practices, and creating fauna refuges and nesting areas.
Together, these interventions reinforce ecosystem connectivity, improve water and habitat quality, reduce wildfire risk, and support the long-term resilience of Alentejo’s distinctive cultural landscapes.
Output
Restoration of over 10 km of riverbanks and planting 20,000 native plants, improving riparian and Montado ecosystems across rural areas of Central Alentejo. DEMO 7 promotes the creation of partnerships with public and private entities to support conservation, recovery, and enhancement actions in environmentally sensitive areas rich in endogenous heritage, providing scalable models for landscape-scale restoration.
Solutions
- Riparian buffers and mediterranean water streams restoration
- Habitat and native vegetation restoration
- Invasive alien species control
- Riverbank ecological engineering
- Refuges and support for native fauna species
