ATN feels addressed to promote reforestry activities, aligned with the international priorities formulated by IPCC and the new green deal from the EU. Trees play a key role in the so-called mosaic landscape, as they create micro climates and habitats facilitating an increase of biodiversity. We would like to contribute significantly in CO2 sequestration and offer services to companies to compensate their CO2 production.

Last years our reforestry activities were not so successful. The coming years we will develop a new reforestry approach with support from the Prins Bernard fund. End of January, forestry expert Ronald Buiting visited ATN to share his ideas about reforestry in our semi-arid region. A new concept will be implemented, taking into account the long dry summer, the poor granite acid soil and protection against damage by wild boars and other herbivores. 

Ronald Buiting will monitor the progress of our activities and in autumn he will pay a next visit to supervise the planting activities, the compost pile and our nursery.

The workshop to guide visits in Faia Brava Reserve was held on 29 February and 1 March. This workshop aimed to train people interested in guiding pedestrian visits to the Faia Brava Reserve on the biologists' trail. This workshop covered topics related to the history of ATNatureza and Faia Brava Reserve, the importance in terms of conservation, emblematic species and good practices for receiving and accompanying visitors. The group of 12 participants plus the Trainer-Guide Marco Ferraz over two days developed skills to improve their activity as Nature Guides, and in the end everyone was able to develop their activity on the biologists trail in the Faia Brava Reserve.

This workshop is part of the training program that the ATNatureza Academy, which throughout the year will develop training activities with a special focus on Natural Sciences and Management of Biodiversity areas, to train Nature Guides as well as Land Owners, Managers of Natural Spaces, Biologists, Students and other interested parties.

The next activity will be held on March 21st “Pasture Management Workshop” for Biodiversity - This workshop aims to show how sustainable management of pastures and herbivores can promote biodiversity and promote quality pastures. Register now via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The 18th of December the storm Elsa striked Portugal and Spain and the 19th the storm Fabian slammed again. At Faia Brava fell more than 100mm water in one week, with the result that the river Coa turned in a swirling river and little streams, dry in the summer, turned in wild flowing brooks. Still the long, dry period in our mind, it is weird to see so much water flowing to the ocean. All that water resulted in large ponds, which we had not seen for ages. This raised the question, can we store that water in an ecological or sustainable way? Can we prevent that water leaks quickly through the ‘walls’ of these ponds? The answer is to improve the retention capacity of these ponds, by using impermeable materials such as clay, better compaction and improving the shrub diversity that allows them to increase their structure.

But not all is good news, this storm has destroyed our tree nursery and so we have to join forces to set up this very important structure for the realization of ATNature's mission to continue reforesting the Faia Brava Reserve with native trees, an important measure for reducing the effect of Climate Change and improving soil structure in the Reserve.

Nature recovery: a key solution for our climate and biodiversity emergencies

12 December 2019, rewilding organisations from 15 different European countries are calling for a wilder Europe and the inclusion of rewilding in the European Green Deal and EU Biodiversity Strategy post-2020. This has the potential to significantly mitigate climate change and reverse biodiversity decline.

11th of December EU commissioner Frans Timmermans presented the European Green Deal in Brussels. While this document is very ambitious on climate actions, ATNatureza believes with Rewilding Europe, that the deal should place far more emphasis on nature-based solutions and large-scale nature recovery to help tackle both the current climate and biodiversity emergencies.

By providing and enhancing nature-based solutions, rewilding can help to mitigate and overcome a whole range of societal challenges. Working with nature can – in a timely and cost-effective way – protect us from flooding and coastal erosion, minimise the threat of wildfire, secure drinking water supplies, ensure human health and wellbeing, and drive economic growth. Rewilding is also one of the most practical and cost-effective ways of mitigating climate change, and helps to boost climate resilience. For more information: https://rewildingeurope.com/news/nature-recovery-a-key-solution-for-our-climate-and-biodiversity-emergencies/

Remember the Red Kite that was delivered to ATNatureza on the 24th of November?! The bird could not fly and was easily caught by people from the village of Escalhão. It was transported by SEPNA-GNR from Vilar Formoso (Environment Police Agency) to CERVAS - Center for Ecology, Recovery and Surveillance of Wildlife where it was treated and fully recovered.

The bird had a broken wing as a result of a collision with an electrical wire, but its treatment was successful, culminating with a rather quick recovery. For its return we had 66 children from kindergarten Ana Paula Foundation who after watching a small puppet theatre about "Rupis and its adventures", had contact with the bird and watched it being returned to nature.

The Red Kite is a bird of prey with two distinct populations in this Region: the breeding (Critically endangered) and the wintering population (mainly individuals coming from Central and Northern Europe, with Vulnerable status) The Red Kite is a target species of the Life Rupis project of which ATNatureza is a partner and actively works to conserve and minimize risks that affect this and other project target species.

Learn more about the Rupis project: http://www.rupis.pt/en/