GEOTA

GEOTA – Grupo de Estudos de Ordenamento do Território e Ambiente – is a Portuguese national environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO) with Public Utility status, legally constituted in 1986 but operating as a reflection and education group since 1981. Headquartered in Lisbon, GEOTA's mission is to promote sustainable development and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage by empowering citizens to engage in environmental education, civic participation, and advocacy. The organisation runs a wide portfolio of projects. The Rios Livres programme advocates for the protection and ecological restoration of Iberian rivers, opposing unnecessary dam construction and promoting the removal of obsolete barriers. The Renature projects – covering Monchique, Leiria, and Estrela – focus on habitat restoration in areas devastated by wildfires, with over two million native trees already planted. The Coastwatch project, coordinated in Portugal by GEOTA since 1990, mobilises schools, NGOs, and local authorities for participatory coastal environmental monitoring. The Centro Ecológico Educativo do Paul de Tornada, managed jointly with Associação PATO, provides environmental education facilities adjacent to a local nature reserve. The TerraSeixe project addresses biodiversity conservation in the Seixe River Basin in southwest Portugal, and the Insetos são nossos Amigos initiative brings pollinator education into schools. GEOTA also operates working groups on sustainable consumption, energy and mobility, and land-use planning, and participates in European programmes such as RESETTING (sustainable tourism, coordinated by ISCTE under COSME). The organisation is grounded in volunteer work, technical competence, constructive civic engagement, and associativism, welcoming all citizens who wish to contribute to environmental protection in Portugal.