Voluntários dão nova vida a casa na Ribeira do Mosteiro

Propriedade revitalizada, Ribeira do Mosteiro (EPN).

Em Outubro deste ano, voluntários da Associação Transumância e Natureza (ATN) participaram num acampamento em Ribeira do Mosteiro para recuperar uma casa em ruínas. A restauração da propriedade vai continuar e, uma vez terminada, a ATN vai usar a casa como suporte às suas várias actividades. ARTIGO COMPLETO EM REWILDING EUROPE.

Descubra o Outro Lado do Côa

... Na Revista Super Interessante, edição de Outubro de 2016. Já nas bancas!

Inovação na conservação

Fala-se no rio Côa e pensa-se de imediato em gravuras rupestres que ficaram famosas por não saberem nadar e por ganharem pergaminhos de património mundial. Porém, há ali outros motivos de interesse além da arte paleolítica e dos magníficos cenários. Descubra os segredos do património do vale do Côa e da primeira área protegida privada de Portugal, que integra a rede europeia Rewilding. (...)

Leia mais em Superinteressante

Venha celebrar a criação de mais 300 hectares para a Natureza !

No próximo sábado 20 de Agosto em Cidadelhe, Concelho de Pinhel irá realizar-se uma Caminhada com Observação de Aves e Libertação de cavalos para celebrar a criação de mais de 300 hectares para a Natureza. A actividade é GRATUITA, para participar basta comparecer às 8h30 no Posto de Turismo Cidadelhe Rupestre. Haverá um almoço no valor de 10 € sujeito a inscrição prévia através do número +351 966284274 ou através de email info@cidadelherupestre.com

JÁ SAIU A PUBLICAÇÃO MAIS NATURAL DA EUROPA!

JÁ SAIU A PUBLICAÇÃO MAIS NATURAL DA EUROPA!

A publicação anual do Rewilding Europe (Annual Review) chegou à ATN.

Voltamos a lembrar que o Rewilding Europe é um projeto europeu que pretende naturalizar 1 milhão de hectares até 2020, sendo a Faia Brava uma área piloto do Oeste Ibérico (Western Iberia).

Nesta edição, volta a estar em destaque a Reserva da Faia Brava com os seus projetos Western Iberia, Star Camp e educação ambiental.

A Annual Review pode ser descarregada aqui.   

EUROPE'S BEST NATURE PUBLISHING IS NOW AVAILABLE!

The Rewilding Europe's publishing (Annual Review) arrived at ATN.

Remember that Rewilding Europe is a European project that aims to develope 1 million natural hectares till 2020, and Faia Brava is a pilot area of the Western Iberia.

The Faia Brava destak goes for its projects for Western Iberia,  Star Camp and enrironmental education.

For download Annual Review, please click here.

O coordenador da ATN no site do Rewilding Europe!

O coordenador da ATN, Pedro Prata, está em destaque no site do Rewilding Europe!  O artigo descreve o perfil do Pedro, e as suas motivações e entusiasmo no projecto de rewilding na região do Vale do Côa. Não deixe de ler!

ATN's executive coordinator, Pedro Prata, is in the spotlight in Rewilding Europe's website! Here you can read about Pedro's profile, and his motivation and enthusiasm in leading the rewilding project in the Côa Valley region of the Western Iberian peninsula.

Pedido de Voluntariado

Procuramos um/a voluntário/a para nos ajudar com alguns inquéritos sobre o conhecimento da Rede Natura 2000 na região, no âmbito da iniciativa Rewilding Europe.

O trabalho implica deslocações de carro na região do Vale do Côa – Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Pinhel, Almeida e Sabugal – e empatia com as pessoas para proceder aos inquéritos. Seriam cerca de 5 dias em total, que podem ser feitos de seguida ou intervalados, até ao final de Agosto.

Será também uma óptima oportunidade para conhecer o trabalho desenvolvido pela ATN, assim como a Reserva da Faia Brava e a área de Rewilding do Oeste Ibérico.

Caso tenha interesse, contacte-nos para geral [arroba] atnatureza.org

Muito obrigado desde já!

Celebração do 15º aniversário da ATN | Celebration of the 15th Anniversary of ATN

Nos dias 12, 13 e 14 de Junho, a Associação Transumância e Natureza celebrou os seus 15 anos, com um conjunto de acontecimentos que marcaram um ponto de viragem na gestão estratégica da ATN:
- expansão da área vedada;
- pré-inauguração do Star Camp;
- lançamento do plano de conservação da ATN;
- apresentação do Rewilding Europe Oeste Ibérico;
- lançamento da campanha GAPS para fechar os "buracos" na Reserva da Faia Brava.

Foi um evento marcado pela presença dos maiores parceiros da ATN - o Rewilding Europe e a Fundación Naturezaleza y Hombre - o Secretário de Estado do Ordenamento do Território e Conservação da Natureza, Prof. Miguel de Castro e Neto, e a Presidente do Conselho Directivo do ICNF, Engª Paula Sarmento.

Dia 12, Sexta-feira

A sessão de abertura decorreu na Casa da Cultura, onde se ouviram várias palavras de reconhecimento ao trabalho que a Associação tem vindo a desenvolver, em prol da conservação do património natural do Vale do Côa. Entre os oradores acima mencionados, contámos ainda com a presença da Presidente do Conselho Directivo da ATN, Ana Berliner, com o Vice Presidente da CCDR-Centro, Dr. Veiga Simão e do Dr. Jorge Brandão.

Durante a cerimónia foi apresentada a marca NATURAL.PT, e assinados os protocolos de adesão com os parceiros locais que aderiram à marca. Este acontecimento é o reflexo da estreita relação que a ATN tem vindo a pautar com o ICNF.


Durante o período da tarde a acção decorreu na Reserva da Faia Brava, a inauguração da nova vedação - um acréscimo de 200 hectares à anterior área vedada - que permite aumentar a área de pastagem disponível para os herbívoros existentes na Reserva. A Engª Paula Sarmento proferiu motivadoras palavras para celebrar o momento, e a abertura da vedação foi marcada pela libertação de uma manada de garranos.

A Adega Cooperativa de Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo e os alunos do Agrupamento de Escolas de Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, foram os responsáveis pelo belíssimo momento proporcionado aos convidados, que puderam degustar alguns dos sabores mais típicos da região e provar o refrescante vinho branco espumante da Adega.

Durante a tarde um grupo de sócios holandeses apresentaram a primeira contribuição para a Campanha GAPS da Faia Brava, e ofereceram um cheque de mais de 19.000€ para o Fundo de Aquisição de Propriedades, uma conta exclusiva para a aquisição de terras para a conservação na natureza, no Vale do Côa.

A noite foi marcada por uma sessão de observação de Estrelas, realizadas por dois membros da OFIUCO, Associação de Astrónomos Amadores de Viseu.

Dia 13, Sábado

Sábado foi um dia dedicado à temática da conservação da natureza, com uma conferência que contou com a presença dos maiores especialistas em diferentes temáticas:

- José Aranha, do CITAB, veio falar-nos do impacto do fogo na dinâmica da paisagem;
- Deli Saavedra, do Rewilding Europe, mostrou-nos o projecto de conservação da iniciativa europeia que a ATN é parceira
- Carlos Fonseca, da Universidade de Aveiro, falou da reintrodução de ungulados e do panorama nacional de populações
- Francisco Álvares, do CIBIO, mostrou-nos a dinâmica das populações de predadores em Portugal
- Pedro Prata, da ATN, apresentou o novo plano estratégico de conservação da ATN

Tivemos ainda a presença de Eduardo Rêgo, a famosa voz portuguesa dos programas de Vida Selvagem da Sic, que nos deu a conhecer o seu mais recente projecto, Loving the Planet.



Durante a tarde realizou-se uma visita à Reserva da Faia Brava, zona sul, onde visitámos o núcleo de arte rupestre com as explicações de Mário Reis, arqueólogo do Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa, e fizemos o pré-lançamento do Star Camp, o mais recente projecto turístico apoiado pelo Rewilding Europe.



Dia 14, Domingo

Bem cedo partimos em direção à Faia Brava para um dia dedicado à biodiversidade. Começámos por observar abutres a alimentarem-se, no Campo de Alimentação de Aves Necrófagas, e seguimos para uma sessão de anilhagem de Aves, dinamizada pela APAA - Associação Portuguesa de Anilhadores de Aves.

Seguiu-se um conjunto de actividades de monitorização da flora, com Tiago Tito e Niek Meister da ATN e Universidade Van Hall Larenstein, Holanda. Tivemos ainda a presença de Joana Marques, que nos veio ensinar sobre líquenes, e da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro tivemos a presença de Ana Morais e Aurora Monzone, que nos ajudaram a identificar vestígios de carnívoros.

Ainda tivemos oportunidade de conhecer os charcos da Faia Brava, numa sessão orientada por Nuno Curado, da ATN, e aprender os primeiros passos no bracejo, com Carla Madeira do projecto Entrelaços das Aldeias Históricas de Portugal.


A Associação Transumância e Natureza agradece a todos os sócios, participantes e parceiros que fizeram desta celebração um momento tão especial. Que venham mais 15 anos repletos de muita vida selvagem!

 

 

Leave your Job, Get a Bicycle and Discover a Wild Europe | Despede-te do teu trabalho, arranja uma bicicleta e parte à descoberta de uma Europa Selvagem

Anna and Dave, a nice couple from the UK, made a big decision in their lifes: they left their jobs in London and started an inspiring adventure across Europe where nothing is quite defined, except the will to visit environmental projects! They rented their apartment, prepared their bicycles and since april have been travelling around to "to find work that really matters".

Curious about it? Well, then you must read their blog For Nature For People to find about their latest experiences, which are always very well illustrated thanks to Dave's talent with the camera!

Thanks to Rewilding Europe, they learnt about the Faia Brava Reserve and on their way south from Galicia, they stopped by and stood for two weeks, camping at the Reserve and participating in the ongoing activities. 

On their arrival day they were actors for a Canadian tv channel that came to shoot at the Reserve; they went with an investigator that is developing a monitoring system with camera traps, they helped on the tree nursery maintenance and on monitoring vegetation and they discovered the archaeological site at the Faia Brava reserve. In the meantime they saw and tons of birds and biodiversity and on their time, they also visited Castelo Rodrigo and had a funny adventure with the local police.

Thank you for your visit and all the wonderful posts on your blog, we hope to see you again!

Good luck, and good rides!

Anna e Dave, um simpático casal inglês, fizeram uma grande decisão nas suas vidas: despediram-se dos seus empregos e começaram uma inspiradora aventura na Europa, em que nada está muito definido, excepto a vontade em visitar projectos ambientais. Alugaram o seu apartamento, prepararam as suas bicicletas e, desde Abril, tem andado a ciclar por aí, em busca "do trabalho que realmente importa". 

Curioso? Bem, então tem espreitar o seu blog For Nature For People onde eles contam as suas últimas aventuras que são sempre muito bem illustradas graças ao talento do Dave com as câmaras!

Através do Rewilding Europe eles vieram ter à Reserva da Faia Brava quando rumavam para sul, depois de uma passagem pela Galicia, e ficaram por cá durante duas semanas, a acampar na Reserva e a participar nas actividades que decorriam por cá. 

No dia da chegada foram actores para uma televisão Canadiana que estava a fazer um documentário sobre a Faia Brava; depois acompanharam uma investigadora que está a monitorizar carnívoras através de câmaras trappings, deram uma ajuda na manutenção do viveiro florestal e na monitorização da vegetação e ainda foram descobrir o sítio arqueológico da Reserva da Faia Brava. Entretanto foram descobrindo as aves e a imensa biodiversidade da Faia Brava. Nos tempos livres, visitaram Castelo Rodrigo e tiveram uma engraçada aventura com a polícia local.

Muito obrigada pela vossa visita e pelos fantásticos posts no vosso blog, esperamos ver-vos novamente!

Boa sorte e boas pedaladas!

Photos By Anna and Dave

Faia Brava na revista Woodland | Faia Brava at Woodland magazine

A área do Oeste Ibérico, em especial Castelo Rodrigo e a Reserva da Faia Brava foram publicados na revista Woodland, da fundação irlandesa Native Woodland Trust.

Na edição da primavera da revista, o oeste ibérico é sugerido como um destino ecoturístico para descobrir um Portugal Selvagem. A notícia inclui um conjunto de sugestões para desfrutar da paisagem e da região e faz ainda menção ao último grande prémio do Travel Club Rewilding Europe, cujos vencedores ganharam uma viagem ao Oeste Ibérico.

The western Iberia, specially Castelo Rodrigo and the Faia Brava Reserve were promoted at the Woodland magazine, the printed edition from the irish foundation Native Woodland Trust.

On its spring edition, the Western Iberia is suggested as an ecotourism destination to enjoy a wild Portugal. The news article includes a range of suggestions to visit the region and mentions the last grand prize from the Travel Club Rewilding Europe, whose winners will have the chance to visit the area in a 5 day tour.

Novos Guias na Faia Brava | New guides for Faia Brava

Empreendedores locais participaram num workshop de orientação de visitas na Reserva da Faia Brava, a primeira área protegida privada e a principal área do Oeste Ibérico, projecto Rewilding Europe.

Durante a última década a Associação Transumância e Natureza (ATN), entidade proprietária e gestora da Reserva da Faia Brava, tem trabalhado para a criação de um local único para a biodiversidade, onde espécies ameaçada como o abutre do Egipto e a águia de Bonelli encontram um local ideal para nidificar.

A Reserva da Faia Brava está também a tornar-se numa das maiores atrações turísticas da região, que tem vindo a sofrer com um processo de abandono nos últimos 60 anos. Actividades de observação de aves, passeios guiados e estar no interior de um abrigo fotográfico dentro do campo de alimentação de aves necrófagas são algumas das actividades que podem ser feitas na Reserva da Faia Brava e que têm atraído visitantes de todo o mundo.

O papel da ATN no desenvolvimento sócio-económico deste território rural tem vindo a ser reconhecido, até jornal internacional The New York Times, em Janeiro deste ano, em que Stanley Reed (jornalista de economia do NYT) sublinhou que "os esforços de conservação cresceram para algo muito maior, (o projecto) tem o potencial de atrair ainda mais pessoas e trabalhos numa região pobre que necessita desesperadamente de ambos".

A ideia de capacitar guias locais esteve na gaveta durante alguns anos mas finalmente viu a luz do dia, numa iniciativa que contou com a colaboração do Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa, do Rewilding Europe e da Fundação MAVA.

 Fauna e flora, geologia, arqueologia e conservação da natureza foram alguns dos tópicos apreendidos pelos novos guias. O workshop combinou sessões teóricas e expedições à Reserva da Faia Brava e uma vez que se trata de uma iniciativa pioneira, também a RTP1 fez um especial sobre este evento. 

"Estamos a criar novas oportunidades para o regresso da natureza no Vale do Côa, mas também para as pessoas e empreendedores que acreditam no potencial da região", diz Pedro Prata, Coordenador-Executivo da ATN. Durante a primeira edição do Workshop, realizada de 25 de Novembro a 15 de Dezembro, os principais participantes foram proprietários de casas de turismo rural e operadores turísticos, mas também algumas pessoas locais que desejam ser guias da Faia Brava.

Miguel Torres, proprietário da Quinta de Pêro Martins, a casa rural mais próxima da Reserva da Faia, participou no workshop com o objectivo de "oferecer aos nossos clientes a oportunidade de explorar esta área de elevado interesse biológico, uma vez que já oferecemos visitas ao património histórico e arqueológico da região".

A criação de uma rede de empreendedores locais e o apoiar a criação de novos negócios relacionados com a natureza e a vida selvagem faz parte do plano estratégico da ATN, que conta com o apoio do Rewilding Europe Capital. Até ao momento, um operador turístico foi já apoiado e durante o próximo ano dois novos projectos serão apresentados.

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Local entrepreneurs at the Western Iberia area received specialized training to guide tours at the Faia Brava Reserve, the 1^st private protected area in Portugal, located at the core of this rewilding area.

For the last decade, ATN, the local NGO which owns and manages the Reserve, has been working towards the creation of a unique space for biodiversity, where endangered species like the Egyptian vulture or the Bonelli’s eagle find a peaceful place to breed.

Moreover, the Faia Brava Reserve is becoming one of the main regional attractions of this Portuguese region, which is in a long term abandonment process over the past 60 years. Birdwatching activities, guided tours and a photographic hide at a vulture feeding station are some of the activities that can be done at the Reserve and are attracting tourists from all over the world. ATN’s role in the development of this rural area has been noticed even by the New York Times, on January this year, where Stanley Reed (NYT Economics journalist) highlighted that “conservation effort has grown into something bigger that has the potential to bring even more people and jobs to a poor region badly in need of both”.

Training local guides was on the shelf for a couple of years now, but finally the project saw the daylight. Fauna and flora, geology, archaeology and nature conservation issues were the main topics studied by the new guides, with important lecturers from the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, partner in this initiative. The workshop combined theoretical sessions with expeditions and practical training at the Reserve, and it is such a pioneer initiative in Portugal that the National TV Channel RTP1 made a reportage about it.

“We are creating new opportunities for nature to comeback to this valley, but also for people and entrepreneurs who believe in the region”, says Pedro Prata, executive-coordinator of ATN. During this first edition of the workshop, held from the 25^th of November to the15^th of December, the main attendees were owners of local rural houses and tour operators, but also a few individuals from the region who wish to become nature guides.

Miguel Torres, owner of Quinta de Pêro Martins, the rural house nearest to the Faia Brava Reserve, attended the workshop “to offer my clients the opportunity of exploring an area with an important natural value, besides the archaeological and historical heritage which we already visit with them”.

Creating a network of local entrepreneurs and supporting the development of new businesses related with nature and wildlife are some of ATN’s strategic goals, with the support of Rewilding Europe Capital (REC). So far, a rural house received a REC loan, and for 2015 two new projects will be launched at the Western Iberia.

Vale do Côa no blog do Rewilding Europe | Côa Valley at Rewilding Europe's blog

In the rural backcountry of Northeastern Portugal lies Castelo Rodrigo, a tiny village that any person will be delighted to visit and enjoy. It sits on a hilltop and offers spectacular views over the surrounding land. Land that has been dominated by man since millennia, but where wildlife is now beginning to come back. 

See the original blogpost here.

Castelo Rodrigo village, Portugal, with the statue of Christ redentor in front.
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

The Mediterranean landscape around here is rough, rocky and greenish, with the few fertile lands dominated by olive and almond tree groves, grain fields and vineyards. While in the hills, along the river banks and in the terrain that is too stony to farm, nature here has been coming back. The sheep grazing has all but disappeared and many people have left the poor farming life for the towns and cities, instead providing space for natural oak forest and wild grasslands to come back, creating new corridors and living space for wildlife.

Côa Valley, Western Iberia rewilding area, Portugal.
Niek Meister 

Castelo Rodrigo, is known as one of the twelve Historical Villages of Portugal, where every street corner or narrow passage reveals the story of those who lived there over the centuries. Ana Berliner and António Monteiro, both biologists coming from Lisbon, decided to stay and live here. The village was almost completely abandoned when Ana and her husband Antonio decided to take over a couple of old ruins and renovate them into an elegant, comfortable and guest-house, the Casa da Cisterna.  Today it is one of Europe’s finest B&B’s.

Fourteen years ago they also began, together with some good friends and colleagues, to establish the first private protected area in the country – the Faia Brava Reserve – owned and managed by an NGO, Associação Transumância e Natureza (ATN). The region is crossed by three rivers (Côa, Douro and Águeda) that has carved deep cliffs and  created amazing sites for large cliff-breeding birds like eagles, vultures and storks.

Located along the Côa River, Faia Brava has also become part of the Western Iberia rewilding area, where apart from several species of vultures and eagles, natural grazing with large herbivores has begun to develop and there are clear plans also to reintroduce several missing wildlife species, like the red deer and the Iberian ibex. It is already also a breeding site for the Tauros project, aiming to bring back an ecologically functional and wild-living version of the aurochs. That has started off here with the ancient cattle breed Maronesa. Also the wild horse has been brought back, beginning with the ancient Portuguese breed Garrano. Anna arranges trips for her guests to visit the Faia Brava reserve for those who want, and she is also a certified archaeological guide to show people around in the Côa Valley Archaeological Park.

Casa de Cisterna B&B, Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

Last year, with the support of Rewilding Europe Capital (REC), the specialist financing division of Rewilding Europe, Ana had another neighbouring house renovated, now being able to offer to the visitor no less than eleven bedrooms, where tradition, elegant design and modern function come together. This was the first of all REC loans and it has already been proven a success.

- “This year the occupation rate for visitors from Central Europe increased 35%”, says Ana. “Casa da Cisterna is very well located, placed at the heart of a historical village and surrounded by an incredible landscape. It is perfect for those who are looking for natural experiences, quietness and some exclusivity”, she continues. Looking forward, she aims to increase the number of guests, while keeping on providing them with unique, top quality experiences, also on the gastronomic front.

During spring and summer, meals are served on the terrace, with the Côa Valley as a background view. One can opt for a refreshing dip in the swimming pool or for an outdoor activity such as a walk with donkeys, a guided tour to natural areas or a visit to the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, an open-air archaeological site with more than 2,000 rock carvings from the Paleolithic era. It is unique in Europe and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The four most important and common motifs of the carvings are aurochs, wild horse, Iberian ibex and red deer, telling a very clear story of the wildlife that once lived here and that could also come back here. It is even written in rock!

Ana Berliner, owner and operator of Casa da Cisterna Bed and Breakfast. Near the Faia Brava reserve, Coa valley, Portugal, Western Iberia rewilding area
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

“Thank you for creating such a fantastic and charming place”, wrote Charlotte, a guest from Belgium who stayed at Casa da Cisterna last summer. One of the countless compliments Casa Cisterna has received over the years.

A stay in Casa da Cisterna is included in the five-day trip “Discover Wild Portugal”, together with visits to the Faia Brava Reserve and unforgettable stone age moments in the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, It is also the Grand Prize (for two) in the December draw of the Rewilding Europe Travel Club, to be drawn in December.

If you are not yet a member, it is strongly suggested to become one!

Check out the draw here: http://www.rewildingeurope.com/travel-club/what-can-i-win/

Que tal uma visita ao Vale do Côa de 5 dias? What about a 5 day visit to the Côa Valley?

Alinentador de Abutres | Vulture feeder

O Vale do Côa é o destino do Grande Prémio do sorteio do TravelClub, a realizar em Dezembro.

Entre uma viagem à Suécia ou à Inglaterra, poderá habilitar-se a passar 5 dias/4 noites no Vale do Côa, para duas pessoas. O programa inclui uma experiência no alimentador de abutres da Reserva da Faia Brava, uma visita guiada às gravuras do Vale do Côa, Património da Humanidade e um jantar com os melhores sabores da região num local idílico pela Miles Away. Os vencedores do prémio vão ficar alojados na Quintã de Pêro Martins e na Casa da Cisterna.

O TravelClub, uma iniciativa do Rewilding Europe, é um clube de pessoas que gostam descobrir a natureza e vida selvagem na Europa. Para se candidatar basta juntar-se ao TravelClub neste link.

Boa sorte!

Programa para 2 | Program for 2

Côa Valley is the destination the grand prize of TravelClub's december draw.

Between a visit to Sweden or England, you can win a 5 day/4 night tour at the Côa Valley, for 2 persons. The program includes an experience inside the photographic hide at the vulture feeder station, at the Faia Brava Reserve; a guided tour to the Côa Valley engravings, world heritage by UNESCO and a dinner with the best regional flavours, provided by Miles Away. Winners will sleep at Quinta de Pêro Martins and Casa da Cisterna.

TravelClub is an initiative from Rewilding Europe, and it is a club for people who like to discover nature and wildlife in Europe. For participating you just have to join TravelClub here.

Good luck!

Dinner by Miles Away

2 nights at Quinta de Pêro Martins

2 nights at Casa da Cisterna

GreenFest e ObservaNatura, venha visitar-nos neste fim-de-semana (PT+EN)

No dia 10 de Outubro, 6ª feira, venha conhecer o projecto Rewilding Europe no GreenFest, o maior evento de sustentabilidade do país, no Centro de Congressos do Estoril, às 16horas no Espaço StoryTelling.

Pedro Prata, Coordenador-executivo da Associação Transumância e Natureza, vai apresentar a iniciativa europeia e o Caso Faia Brava, parceiro que constitui a área do Oeste Ibérico.

Durante o GreenFest a Associação Transumância e Natureza organiza mais actividades:

6ª, dia 10 - Apresentação "Tornar a Europa um lugar mais selvagem", das 16h às 16h30 no espaço StoryTelling
Sábado, dia 11 - Workshop de Plantação de árvores - das 14h às 15h30 no espaço GreenContainer, especialmente pensado para os mais pequenos
Domingo, dia 12 - Participação na conferência "Turismo fora de portas", das 10h às 13h no espaço Creative Crowd 

A ATN disponibiliza convites grátis para os seus sócios, se estiver interessado contacte-nos.

Durante este fim-de-semana a ATN estará também na ObservaNatura, dias 11 e 12 de Outubro. Venha visitar e fique a par das novidades, na Herdade da Mourisca, em Setúbal.

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At the 10th of October, friday, come to know more about the Rewilding Europe at GreenFest, the biggest event about sustainability in Portugal, at Centro de Congressos do Estoril, 4:00 pm at the StoryTelling space.

Pedro Prata, the executive-coordinator of Associação Transumância e Natureza, will introduce Rewilding Europe and the Faia Brava Reserve, from the Rewilding area Western Iberia.

During GreenFest, Associação Transumância e Natureza organizes more activities that you can attend:

Friday, day 10 - Presentation "Making Europe a wilder place", 4:00-4:30 pm at StoryTelling space
Saturday, day 11 - Tree plantation Workshop - 2:00-3:30 pm at the GreenContainer space, specially for kids
sunday, day 12 - Participation at the conference  "Turismo fora de portas", 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at Creative Crowd space.

ATN has free entrances at GreenFest for its members, if you are interested contact us.

During this weekedn, ATN will also be at ObservaNatura, days 11 and 12. Come visit and get in touch with our latest news. ObservaNatura is at Herdade da Mourisca, Setúbal. 

Educating a new breed of European nature entrepreneurs

• by Annemiek Leuvenink and Judith Jobse
• 8. July 2014, from the Rewilding Europe Blog.

There is a growing demand from society to cover the costs for nature conservation in more efficient and sustainable ways. Meanwhile, there is also a demand for new jobs in the often depopulating agricultural regions in Europe. To meet these demands, new education is needed to help develop a new breed of entrepreneurs who can start up and run new businesses based around wildlife, nature reserves and other wild or natural areas.

Matthew McLuckie, Enterprise Development Manager at Rewilding Europe at the final symposium of the project ‘KIGO European Nature Entrepreneur’
Daan van der Linde

Conservation enterprises
Matthew McLuckie, Enterprise Development Manager at Rewilding Europe spoke about the development of ‘conservation enterprises’ and the use of ‘conservation covenants’ in Europe, during his keynote speech at the final symposium of the project ‘KIGO European Nature Entrepreneur’ at Knowledge Estate Larenstein in June in Velp, the Netherlands. McLuckie defined ‘conservation enterprises’ as commercial activities generating economic and social benefits in ways that help meet conservation objectives. McLuckie shared his insights on nature entrepreneurship in Africa and Europe based on his experiences at Conservation Capital and Rewilding Europe and underlined the opportunities in Europe for eco-tourism and wildlife watching in particular. “People are prepared to pay a lot of money to watch wildlife in Europe.” McLuckie explicates: “at the isle of Mull white-tailed eagle watching attracts every year up to £5 million of tourist spend on Mull”.

Educating nature entrepreneurs
The KIGO-project (Knowledge and Innovation in Green education) funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and was a collaboration between Rewilding Europe and a number of educational institutes in The Netherlands (Helicon Opleidingen, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, and Wageningen University). During the final symposium, several ideas from (potential) nature entrepreneurs were showcased and several of them received mini-business consultancy from Matthew McLuckie and Steven de Bie (the latter from Conservation Consultancy).

The ATN stand at the networking market
Judith Jobse

Educational activities in Western Iberia
The Western Iberia rewilding area on the border of Western Spain and North-Eastern Portugal was chosen as the project’s focus area to experiment with educational activities like the Erasmus Intensive Programme on European Wilderness Entrepreneurship and research on the topic of nature entrepreneurship. Collaboration with the local partners of Rewilding Europe in Western Iberia – Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre (FNYH) in Spain and Associação Transumância en Natureza (ATN) in Portugal – was vital to carry out these educational activities and research projects. The local NGO’s hosted bachelor and master students to carry out thesis work and internship projects about mapping the landownership around the Portuguese nature reserve Faia Brava, the negotiation of space and the involvement of locals with Faia Brava and ATN, and stakeholder involvement in FNYH. Western Iberia was also featured in an educational documentary film produced in an additional WURKS project NatureToGo, in which a diversity of stakeholders talk about how they see the future for Western Iberia. At the start of the project, Diego Benito from FNYH was a speaker at a KIGO ENE co-hosted symposium in 2012 entitled “The Business of Nature Conservation. What Europe can learn from Africa”. The Wageningen University reported on this symposium in their student and staff magazine Resource on April 5, 2012 and ATN was represented at the final symposium by a Dutch board member and volunteers at the network marketplace.

Further ambitions
During these three years of the KIGO-project, many educational activities have been developed to help provide this new breed of conservationists with a set of entrepreneurial skills. There are still many challenges to overcome, but one thing is clear; there is a demand for this kind of entrepreneur. Even though the project has almost ended, the curricula that have been developed at VHL University of Applied Sciences, Wageningen University and Helicon Opleidingen will continue. The partners of the KIGO-project European Nature Entrepreneur have the ambition to seek European funds to further internationalise the curricula and collaborative research on European nature entrepreneurship.
More links and outputs of the project European Nature Entrepreneur can be found at the website of the final symposium which will be updated with symposium pictures and a report soon.



See thw original post at the blog of Rewilding Europe.

The winner of Travel Club - a Visit to Western Iberia

Early this spring we were the guests of the Faia Brava Reserve and of Campanários de Azaba Biological Reserve, Rewilding Europe’s two local partners in Western Iberia, right on the border between Spain and Portugal. Campanários de Azaba Biological Reserve, the two partners of Rewilding Europe in Western Iberia. Five fantastic days in the wilds.

Dehesa forests with Holm oak (Quercus ilex) and French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) in Campanarios de Azába Reserve
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

Faia Brava
There is no need to make a reservation when you travel by train from Porto to Pocinho in Portugal. It seems like very few are travelling there. Over the last decades most people moved out from this area near the border with Spain. As the train followed the Douro River, more and more people got off, so when we arrived in Pocinho, it was not difficult for Bárbara Pais to recognize this Dutch family with its luggage.

Bárbara is our guide on the first day in the Faia Brava Reserve. She explains why people left their properties around here. ”Since the 1960’s people abandoned this area, because they couldn’t make a living here anymore. For example: almonds from California were cheaper than those from Portugal. The villagers got other jobs and left for the cities.’’ As we drive through small villages, we only see elderly people in the streets. Most of them already long ago passed the age of sixty. Nevertheless there are newly built playgrounds for children, surprisingly. ”That’s because of the European subsidies,’’ Bárbara explains.

Since the people left farming and grazing lands, nature is now getting a second chance. Associação Transumância e Natureza (ATN) made Faia Brava into the first private protected area in Portugal. The organisation buys land from farmers who quit farming or from families whose ancestors abandoned their fields already long ago. That is not an easy job; the Faia Brava area alone had over a hundred different land owners that ATN have had to negotiate with.
More than 800 hectares of nature lies in front of us as we enter this part of the Faia Brava Reserve. Olive trees and cork oaks are the remainders of the agriculture period. Lavender and Spanish broom are the new pioneers. This area has a quite extreme climate. Nove meses de inverno, três meses de inferno. This is how the Portuguese call the big influence climate has on this area: nine months of winter (inverno), and three months of hell (inferno). We feel lucky to be visiting Faia Brava at the end of April, when nature here maybe is at its best. On our first day here we went for a walk. We even encountered a herd of wild-living Garrano horses with their new foals.

Ana Berliner, the owner and operator of Casa Cisterna Bed and Breakfast.
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

Castelo Rodrigo is a small historical village here, where we spent a great night at “Casa da Cisterna”. Ana Berliner, the owner of this Bed & Breakfast surprises us with a really delicious meal in her cosy house. As Ana is a biologist herself, she also has a big library with a lot of nature guides. Up here it gets a bit chilly outdoors during the night and we have a clear view of the stars.
The following day we enter again the Faia Brava Reserve, now in a Land Rover Defender from ATN. It’s a bumpy trip along an old path with stone walls through the former farming fields. Villagers named it the Caminho de Formigas (the ant road), because people always used to carry stuff along this road when they left the village at sunrise or came back from the fields at sunset.

“The local people are not always happy to give up the lands of their ancestors,’’ João Quadrado tells us Project officer of ATN. ”A lot of emotions are involved. For example; it takes around 50-60 years before you can harvest cork from a cork oak. So if your father has planted a cork oak tree for your children, you don’t easily sell your land.’’ João is from around here, so he knows how that feels. ”A while ago I was on my grandmother’s land and I remembered how we used to pick olives together.’’
In the early morning the olive trees are crowded with birds and there is bird song all around us.

João provides us with binoculars and points out many colourful birds like bee-eaters, hoopoes and crested larks. Through the binoculars we also check out a vulture’s nest and we see the horses again. Along the valley, there is a string of white, round houses in traditional style. These used to be pigeon houses, that the farmers here built long ago, because they used the pigeon’s droppings to fertilize the land. ATN is working to preserve and restore them, as a traditional part of the landscape.

We notice lots of tracks from wild boar. They are numerous because there aren’t any large predators left in this area; the wolf was made extinct long ago. “But there’s hope for the future”, says João. “Wolves have been seen nearby recently, it is only a question of time until they are back.’’ When animals die in Faia Brava, the vultures take care of them. ATN also feeds the vultures with road kills and dead livestock animals, at a special feeding place where photographers and others who want to can watch the feeding vultures from inside a hide. ”In Portugal, we have two million hectares of abandoned land today’’, João tells us. ”We have decided to look at this also as an opportunity. We don’t have a detailed, specific end goal for nature in Faia Brava, it’s really rather the process of regeneration and rewilding. We would like a more natural number of trees and more of the original herbivore species and ATN is working on that’’.

After seven hours of wandering and wondering in the reserve, the road back to town is just as bumpy as it was this morning. Quintã de Pêro Martins is the village where we spend the second night. Sara and Miguel are the friendly hosts of this Bed & Breakfast, and they even lent us their dog Beckas for an evening walk around the village. This couple also knows al lot about the prehistoric rock engravings that have been found here in the Côa Valley.

Campanários de Azaba

Griffon vultures in Campanarios de Azaba Biological Reserve
Juan Carlos Muñoz Robredo / Rewilding Europe

On our third day, we leave Portugal to go to Campanários de Azaba in Spain. Diego Benito Peñil is our guide for the following two days. Diego works for Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre, which also is the local partner of Rewilding Europe. He shows us an area called Riscos de Águeda and we immediately witness the striking difference with Portugal: this is a rolling area in stead of hilly and the fields are bigger and more open. Around here not the farming has dominated, but rather the livestock raising. “And the noble families in Spain used to own big territories,‘’ Diego completes. “But just as in Portugal, most of the young people moved to the cities, leaving an opportunity for nature”.

Surprisingly, the Spanish broom is still flowering here which it wasn’t anymore in Portugal. So there are white flowers everywhere around us as we walk into the fields to a steep river canyon. We eat tortillas de patata, while listening to singing corn buntings. After lunch, we hit the road again. As we travel higher, the forest changes from mainly oaks to pine trees. Diego points out a small group of Iberian ibex on a steep hill. Close to the top of the mountain, there is a large monastery and even more ibex, a mother with a few youngsters. Swallows, swifts and vultures dot the sky.
Diego then takes us to the Campanários de Azaba Reserve, where he lives with his family. After closing the fence, we immediately encounter a group of cows. That is special, because they have 500 hectares to wander around. His wife Ruth treats us to a great meal and an even greater view over the reserve. Around here it’s so quiet in the evening! Magnificent!

Next morning we get up early and prepare for four hours in a hide, waiting to see the vultures up close. Diego brings us to the feeding place and puts out a bunch of dead chickens right in front of the hut. Now we only have to sit and watch, until the vultures will come to have their dinner. First come the ravens, the black kites and the red kites. They seem to check that there is no danger and they are closely watched by the vultures, who are soaring around a bit higher up in the sky. We thought we would maybe see only a few vultures, but to our surprise almost fifty vultures attack the dead chickens after almost two hours of waiting. Both black vultures griffon vultures. They make a lot of noise and leave us speechless in the hide. And yes, they are really big and almost frighteningly close, but in a way also really beautiful.

As suddenly as they arrived, the vultures then quickly leave after finishing their lunch. When we leave our hide, we collect some huge vulture feathers in the killing field. The only thing left of the chickens are some white feathers. There are also some remains from previous vulture lunches on horses and sheep. It’s a bit weird walking in this vulture restaurant with bones lying around. You can smell death, but lavender as well.

Retuertas horses living wild in the Campanarios de Azaba Reserve
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe

After having to sit still for such a long while, we felt we needed some exercise. Diego takes us for a three hour walk through the reserve. He shows us a fox den where we hide a camera trap, which will take pictures when the foxes leave their home during the night. We also pass a hide with a chimney, especially built to watch wild boar from (so that they can’t feel your smell). Walking through the reserve is a really fantastic experience. The landscape is a genuine mosaic. You see new kinds of trees and flowers every five minutes. And there are lots of lizards. An ideal place also for the rare Retuertas horses, who live and roam here on their own.
On our final day there, we make a last short walk and then we leave Campanários de Azaba for Portugal. We really enjoyed this trip in Western Iberia. It’s a beautiful wilderness experience and we hope to come back here soon again!

Rianneke Mees

visited Faia Brava and Campanarios with her husband Johan Mees, the winner of the Western Iberia trip in the December 2013 draw of the Travel Club of Rewilding Europe

• Email: riannekeschrijft@gmail.com

Learning wild entrepreneurship, in the wild

 The Erasmus Intensive program, by Annemiek Leuvenink and Jan Claus Di Blasio, also available at Rewilding Europe Blog. See also the post at Waningen University website.



35 students and 15 lecturers from universities in Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands took part in the second edition of the 'European Wilderness Entrepreneurship' school from 20/3 to 4/4, a part of the Erasmus Intensive Programme. Indulging in a unique learning experience in Western Iberia.

Students analysed the local setting by interviewing local stakeholders and talking to mayors, by looking at visitors centres, visiting villages and nature reserves and getting familiar with the area. They experienced this rewilding area as visitors, learned about the impact of tourism on the region, but also took an economic perspective by working with a business model. Participants also learned about the ecology and wildlife of Western Iberia during field trips in Rewilding Europe’s partner areas Campanarios de Azaba in Spain and the Faia Brava Reserve in Portugal. The students worked in international, interdisciplinary teams and analysed opportunities for nature entrepreneurship. At the end of the two week programme, they presented their findings and business ideas for the area to local stakeholders from Portugal and Spain. The ideas varied from education for primary and high school pupils, mobile apps to spot wildlife, and from nature trails to green business incubators. This is what the participants say themselves:

Outdoor classroom
Julia Kinževskaja from Van Hall Larenstein University for Applied Sciences in The Netherlands, originally from Estonia, explains the value of this learning experience ‘in the wild’: "It's better to see it one time than to hear it one hundred times”. There is a big difference between reading statistics and interviewing the citizens, between listening to professors of business studies and talking with experienced entrepreneurs, between looking at photos of mountains and climbing them yourself. I strongly believe that everything must be learned by practice; therefore I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to see what Rewilding Europe is trying to do, from the inside. This experience is priceless for our future and hopefully for the future of nature as well.”

Many participants were very eager to step outside the theoretical walls of lecture halls and literature, which is both a stimulus and a challenge. Each place has its own unique history, its relation to the landscape and its valuable bank of practices and experiences. The setting turned out to be a positive surprise for all; Iva Dujic from University of Zadar in Croatia describes the programme as a beautiful experience for anyone who enjoy nature, who love to meet new people and who are open to new experiences.
The extraordinary cultural and natural heritage of the region was clearly inspirational to all participants, who shared their newly discovered fondness for the region with the residents. This in turn reinforced the feeling among residents and stakeholders that this large group of foreign students shared their concerns and tried to find out effective plans for a sustainable future in the area.
Of course, as in any such programme, there were challenges, especially in the initial phases. In retrospect, Sérgio Miguel from Aveiro University in Portugal adds “it is important to step outside our usual environment to meet new knowledge and take part in new adventures”.

Innovation and inspiration can only bloom when we are open-minded about taking on new challenges. Iva Duijic continues: “initially it seemed hard to work in multicultural student teams, but in the end our eventual weaknesses turned out to be advantages, and as a proof of this we have our final business project plans. I hope we brought at least a bit of fresh new ideas for the local residents of Western Iberia and I hope we did it in a suitable way to preserve nature."

At the end of the programme, the shared feeling among stakeholders, students and staff was that of a truly successful programme. Jan Claus Di Blasio, from Lund University in Sweden and originally from Italy, comments on this: “Two weeks have not made us experts. However, they have showed us how both the local and the international levels can learn from each other. As participants and researchers, we have learned a lot, which comers from interacting with those who care most about the area’s future. On the other hand, I think also our ideas, world views and experiences, inspired the local people that we met.”

The rich biodiversity
So what did we meet from the biodiversity and natural heritage of the area? Here is a complete list from Atanas Grozdanov, a lecturer and ornithologist from the Sofia University, Bulgaria.

As our trip started with lectures in Salamanca, we had the opportunities to watch birds living in the urban environment: white stork, wood pigeon, greenfinch, black redstart, spotless starling and kestrel. During the travel westwards, to the village La Alberca, many birds of prey were encountered soaring over the typical dehesa landscape: griffon and black vultures, black and red kites. In the vicinity of La Alberca where we stayed most of the time, the vultures were still present as well as mountain and forest species like blackbird, nuthatch, wren, blackcap, robin and greenfinch. As the altitude and the habitat changed when we visited the mountain top Peña de Francia, we observed some new species: blue rock thrush, rock bunting, raven, golden eagle, the first Egyptian vultures and we also were lucky to meet the reintroduced, and typical for the region, Spanish ibex.

A very interesting day for our wildlife experience was when we visited Rewilding Europe’s site Campanarios de Azaba. The typical blue-winged magpies were there, as well as many griffon and black vultures, attracted by the artificial feeding site, designed also for visiting wildlife photographers. The Black stork was also observed here for the first time during the trip. When we travelled to Portugal the list of animal species was extended. In the surrounding of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo we observed the elusive Bonelli’s Eagle, blue-winged magpie, subalpine warbler, Iberian grey shrike, and blackcap. In the Faia Brava reserve we had many vulture observations, including some new raptors: booted eagle and short-toed eagle. We also found a great variety of warblers characteristic for the Mediterranean, such as subalpine, Dartford’s and Sardinian warblers. Singing spring species were also there: cuckoo, corn bunting, and serin. The observation of these species helped the group of lecturers and students better realize the rich biodiversity of this area – one of the most important factors for sustainable business plans for Rewilding Europe, which were designed during this Intensive Programme on 'European Wilderness Entrepreneurship'.

Closing information
This year students and lecturers came from the following institutions: Lund University (Sweden), University of Zadar (Croatia), Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), Wageningen University (the Netherlands), Sofia University (Bulgaria), University of Aveiro (Portugal), University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and University of Salamanca (Spain). The first two days of the IP were hosted by the University of Salamanca. This programme was organized in cooperation with the local Rewilding Europe's partners Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre (Spain) and Associação Transhumância e Natureza (Portugal) and the Biosphere Reserve (Spain) to whom we are grateful for their support throughout the programme. Funding from the EU Lifelong Learning Programme partially supported our travel, food, lodging and some organisational expenses.

For more information, media and student output, please, see soon the website of Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, the lead partner of the second edition of the Erasmus Intensive Programme “European Wilderness Entrepreneurship”.

With the contribution of Sérgio Miguel, Julia Kinzevskaja, Jelmer van Tol, Iva Dujic and Atanas Grozdanov.

Blog entries express the views and opinions of their authors, which might not always fully overlap with those of Rewilding Europe.