REACT MORE – the Moreirolas Action Project to Reforest and Combat Desertification, yesterday brought together various experts to discuss the issue of desertification.
Held in the municipality of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, the Itinerant Conference REACT MORE: From desertification to the valorization of the forest was attended by several researchers from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) and the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), as well as representatives of companies linked to the cork sector and the use of acorns. Also present were project promoters José Gaspar, President of Florestgal, Carlos Fonseca, CTO of CoLAB ForestWISE, Armando Pacheco, President of the Association of Traditional and Environmental Agricultural Producers (APATA), and Carlos Condesso, Mayor of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo.
The president of FlorestGal, José Gaspar, referred to the need to create forestry systems capable of adapting to climate change, with adaptive management to provide different goods and services relevant to society. He also highlighted the exemplary nature of REACT MORE and the ability of the monitoring mechanisms tested to constitute a prototype applicable to other projects, stressing the need to transform and recover spaces such as Quinta de Moreirolas, through the use of native and more resilient species.
The CTO of CoLAB ForestWISE, Carlos Fonseca, pointed out that projects such as REACT MORE and actions like this are fundamental to raising public awareness of the phenomenon of desertification and the work that can be done in terms of agroforestry management, namely the adaptation of species such as the cork oak, which bring real socio-economic benefits to the territory. Finally, Armando Pacheco, from APATA, mentioned the need for producers to adapt to climate change in order to maintain the profitability of their activities, generating more jobs and business opportunities in agriculture.
