IMPRESSIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
The first part of the morning began with a brief speech by each of the participants regarding their expectations for the week, based on the video presentations shared by the Cabeço Santo association, followed by a brief presentation of the three associations. The purpose of this first part was to create empathy and improve relationships among the participants by getting more familiar and increasing involvement.
INTERVENTION BY GEORGE
What is the project: The project was born with the primary purpose of restoring the ecology of the landscape of this area. It started in 2007, as a result of and thanks to the ideas and efforts of Paulo Domingues, to counter the landscape monopoly of eucalyptus, helping the few remaining species to maintain and spread again.
It all came about following a huge fire in 2005 that resulted in the destruction of many of the forests present and led to Paulo’s decision to apply the studies he had undertaken years earlier independently on his parents’ land.
After the fire, other invasive species appeared and established themselves in place of eucalyptus, but the native vegetation failed to reestablish itself.
The efforts were funded solely by Paulo and a few others. The establishment of Cabeço Santo aims to give continuity to this initiative, channeling the efforts of more people in the direction of restoring vegetation biodiversity.
Among the proposed initiatives are: involving the younger generation of children, raising their awareness about the importance of restoring the original biodiversity; agreeing with large companies to purchase “carbon credits” from them to balance their emissions.
Planting is not done randomly but using agroforestry techniques that allow (through the association of species working together) the creation of complex and stable ecosystems in which species perform different and complementary functions, promoting soil regeneration and also including educational works for adults and children, making them understand the benefits that humans can gain from the development of these initiatives, all using a synanthropic approach.
Where they work: in fragmented settings where eucalyptus monoculture takes place, which is detrimental not only to biodiversity but also to the soil that is periodically exposed to erosion and desiccation due to processing methods. Activities take the form of purchasing small plots of land and creating corridors to connect them in order to limit their susceptibility to degradation.
There are 3 ways of creating these islands (which have reached an extent of 130 ha so far): renting them, buying them, or using them temporarily for projects (to be settled on the last item).
The activities mainly took the form of group work that stimulated communication among participants in order to achieve a common goal. These activities increased the confidence and affinity among the participants by stimulating them indirectly through: facing a path blindfolded, guided sol by teammates; depicting a story composed as a result of collaboration among team members, etc..
The activities are carried out in the midst of a portion of forest regenerated by the association, nestled among oak and laurel trees, demonstrating the effectiveness of the interventions they are carrying out.
The afternoon and day ended with a group yoga time, immersed in the silence of the forest to reconnect with it.
Adamo Irma
Member of Natufriends Italy
