Causas de Raiz
Causas de Raiz is an independent, non-profit citizen map tracking environmental conflicts in Portugal, with over 100 documented and sourced …
Land Stewardship & Trusts
Holding land in trust for the long term: the montado agroforestry of Herdade do Freixo do Meio, Eternal Forest's thousand-year sanctuaries, and conservation charities like MONTIS and Faia Brava. Ownership as a promise to the future.
Projects in this focus
Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian – Nature and Biodiversity Protection Programme
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's Nature and Biodiversity Protection Programme provides core funding to eight environmental NGOs across P…
Reservas da Biosfera de Portugal
Reservas da Biosfera de Portugal is a digital territorial platform that showcases Portugal's 13 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, promoting their n…
Regen Waves
Regen Waves is a non-profit movement working to regenerate the Arrábida bioregion through native “superforests”, community-led Regen Walks a…
OArborista
OArborista is a certified arboriculture company based in Sesimbra and Lisbon, led by the professional arborist Ruben Oliveira, who has over …
Land stewardship and trusts in Portugal
Buying land is the easy part; keeping a promise about it after the buyer dies is the hard one. These organisations use ownership structures (foundations, associations, conservation charities) to hold ground beyond the lifespan of any single owner.
MONTIS manages several hundred hectares of restored woodland near Vouzela. Faia Brava was the first privately protected area in the country. Fundação Terra Agora works on a stewardship model out of Tomar, FAPAS and A Rocha manage protected land in the north and the Algarve, and Herdade do Freixo do Meio holds its montado under a protective statute.
Most accept donations of land as well as money, and several take on parcels nobody else wants. See also habitat restoration, rewilding and cork oak montado. Dated activities from these projects are listed in our events calendar.