Reserva do Vale Velho

Reserva do Vale Velho is restoring Casal das Pias, a property of roughly 100 hectares in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, Portugal, and working to preserve the area's culture at the same time. The land was acquired in 2018, after 15 years of agricultural abandonment. It is being brought back step by step towards its ecological potential, and it provides sustainable subsistence for the family who runs it. The project rests on three pillars: - Agriculture: organic farming with local and endangered breeds and varieties, ancestral techniques, and permaculture adapted to climate change and a post-oil era. - Nature: recovering and preserving threatened habitats and species, reforestation with native species, passive restoration techniques, rewilding and environmental education. - Culture: preserving local heritage, culture and identity, archaeology, and re-establishing the connection between people and nature. The project regularly organises reforestation actions with volunteers, sowing native oak acorns and planting willow and elder cuttings along eroding water lines. So far, around 6.5 hectares have been reforested with native species. Part of that came from community actions with friends and volunteers, and part was done during the daily shepherding of the resident flock. Live staking has also stabilised around 600 metres of eroding watercourses. A young couple leads the project. Ana Teresa Matos is a biologist with training in forest engineering, ecology and permaculture design. André Marques is an archaeologist specialising in archaeobotany. Both hold Permaculture Design Certificates from Aldeia do Vale. Between them they cover the natural sciences and cultural heritage, and the way they restore the land draws on both. The project works with local associations such as Associação Veredas da Estrela and welcomes community participation in its ongoing restoration work.