Rewilding Portugal mixes wild horses and cattle in Ermo das Águias

Rewilding Portugal is running a pioneer project in the Ermo das Águias area where Sorraia horses and Tauros cattle now share the same semi-wild territory, recreating grazing dynamics that once shaped Portugal's landscape. The organisation argues that mixed herds of large herbivores, each grazing differently, create a natural mosaic of vegetation that benefits insects, birds and small mammals more than a single species could. Beyond ecological gains, continuous natural grazing reduces forest fuel and wildfire risk, and could eventually ease pressure on livestock by giving predators like the Iberian wolf natural prey.