Associação Cabeço Santo is a Portuguese environmental NGO working to restore degraded landscapes on the western slopes of the Serra do Caramulo, by removing invasive species and reintroducing native flora. Founded in 2019 out of a project active since 2006, it involves volunteers and local communities in nature conservation and environmental education.
Associação Cabeço Santo (ACS) works on the ecological restoration of the Belazaima stream basin (Ribeiro de Belazaima), a tributary of the River Águeda. The landscape has been badly degraded by inappropriate forestry with exotic species and by the spread of invasive plants. To reverse the damage, the association systematically removes invasive and exotic species, sows and plants native flora, and carefully manages spontaneous vegetation so that indigenous habitats can recover over time.
ACS is an environmental non-governmental organisation (ONGA) based in Feridouro, a small village in the parish of Belazaima do Chão, in the municipality of Águeda. It was set up in 2019 to formally manage the Projecto Cabeço Santo, which had been running since 2006 under the umbrella of Associação Quercus.
The association also promotes citizen participation. It organises regular volunteer working days, where people from the local area and the wider region can contribute directly to nature recovery. It works with schools and educational institutions to deliver environmental and sustainability education programmes. And it promotes the creation and signposting of walking trails, so that visitors can experience and appreciate the restored landscape.
Its online community has approximately 150 subscribers: environmental enthusiasts, local residents and institutions committed to biodiversity and landscape conservation in central Portugal.
