REACT MORE: Action Project for Reforestation and Combating Desertification of Moreirolas
In Portugal, desertification has been increasing, and it is even considered that 58% of the territory of mainland Portugal is susceptible to this problem, especially in the south, central and northern interior areas. Forecasts for climate change and population loss are expected to increase the risk of desertification in our country.
The recognition of this problem by the international community, with obvious social, economic, and environmental implications, has resulted in a public debate on the subject and the establishment of recommendations and commitments to meet targets that support the mitigation of the problem.
The project
The REACT MORE project, which began in November 2022, is the result of a partnership between Florestgal, S.A., CoLAB ForestWISE® and APATA – Association of Traditional and Environmental Agricultural Producers, in the search for concrete actions aimed at responding to the problem of desertification in the national territory. To this purpose, a set of activities in an area of approximately 290 ha, in the council of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, is planned, aiming to achieve objectives underlying the aspects of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. To this end, the different activities are divided into three different typologies:
- Silvicultural activities: operations related to the installation of the plots, namely land preparation, selection of tree and shrub species, planting/sowing);
- Monitoring activities: involving the creation of 3+3 plots to evaluate soil biophysical parameters and simultaneously collect information to understand their evolution, biodiversity and the survival and germination rate of plants and seeds used;
- Activities of dissemination, exploitation, and communication of results with the consequent involvement of local communities.
The name of the project REACT MORE – Action Project for Reforestation and Combating Desertification of Moreirolas, reflects the ambition to project an action that aims to REforest, REhabilitate and make the territory more REsilient to desertification.
REACT MORE began in November 2022 and is expected to end on 31 December 2023. However, it has the ambition to expand its time frame beyond the specified deadline, having already agreed, within the scope of the partnership, the cooperation for its promotion for a period of more than 10 years.
FUNDING
The project has an investment of about one million euros, funded by the Competitiveness and Internationalisation Operational Programme, REACT-EU Initiative – funded as part of the Union’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PROJECTS
Learn more about other CoLAB ForestWISE® projects.
