{"id":27404,"date":"2025-06-12T16:37:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T16:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rotavicentina-blog.miewstudio.com\/?p=27404"},"modified":"2025-06-12T17:00:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T17:00:36","slug":"rewilding-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/rewilding-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"Rewilding Portugal and the Greater C\u00f4a Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading]<\/p>\n

What Can This Rewilding Movement Offer (Eco)Tourism?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Rewilding Portugal<\/a> had been on my radar for a while, and the invitation to join one of the panels at the Experience(C\u00f4a) Congress<\/a> on nature tourism in rewilding contexts came at just the right moment. Fresh off the Re-Rural Caravan<\/a> and before diving into the Communication Plan for the new ID Sudoeste consortium, I was especially inspired and connected to the topic.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The event took place in Pinhel, in the Greater C\u00f4a Valley, and I began my talk by recalling a visit I made years ago to Foz C\u00f4a. The nighttime tour of the ancient engravings left a lasting impression. It was one of the most powerful experiences I\u2019ve had connecting with a wild Portugal \u2014 30,000 years ago, before we became sedentary, agricultural, landscape-transforming beings, yet already capable of stories that physically reached across time. That visit was a kind of time travel, similar to what I experience on the cliffs of Costa Vicentina, where I can easily envision a primal, ancient, wild Portugal.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know Rewilding Portugal well, but a quick read of the materials at the event entrance made things clear: the framing may differ, but the fundamental questions are the same. With a focus on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2020\u20132030), we still have a long way to go. The ICNF (Portuguese Institute for Nature Conservation)<\/a> continues to fall short in its role in nature conservation \u2014 let alone ecosystem restoration. The idea that we can\u2019t keep slicing up landscapes with administrative boundaries aligns closely with the One Health approach: everything is connected, and we need to restore the health of ecosystems we are inherently part of. The economy of the future \u2014 which begins now \u2014 must be rooted in nature and its balance.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”27394″][\/vc_single_image][vc_custom_heading]<\/p>\n

In Search of the True Ecotourist<\/strong><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]This organisation\u2019s core idea is to reintroduce key species and practices that help ecosystems regenerate. Top predators and large herbivores rebalance the food chain and landscape and, importantly, have significant tourism potential. As Marco Ferraz put it: \u201cWe have a fantastic natural setting, but we\u2019re missing the actors.\u201d The cultural dimension, involving local communities, was frequently mentioned \u2014 aligning the local calendar with that of emblematic species could unlock unique potential.<\/p>\n

I witnessed a region starting with ecosystem and landscape regeneration and then moving toward tourism \u2014 a sequence we in the Southwest are aiming to follow. It seems like a good path, but neither dimension is easy to manage, and tourism can be far more predatory than wolves or lynxes.<\/p>\n

From my side, I raised questions and concerns \u2014 particularly the need to deepen the connection between place and visitor, seeking out the true ecotourist: the one who is committed to the territory and wants to give something back. In contrast, the “fast ecotourist” collects destinations like trophies, arriving and departing without leaving a positive impact (often not even for themselves), and sometimes leaving behind unintentional negative traces. As Manuel Franco said, the difference between greenwashing<\/em> and greenwishing<\/em> lies in intent \u2014 but the results may be similar.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”27399″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]We are speaking about a paradigm shift \u2014 not an easy one and one that requires wisdom. I reiterated Rota Vicentina\u2019s commitment to continued investment in meaningful cooperation, not just locally, but with projects, organisations, and collectives across the country. Change is urgent, and a coordinated strategy of collaboration can accelerate regeneration, connection, and the revitalisation of affected regions.<\/p>\n

Rewilding Portugal, part of the wider Rewilding Europe initiative<\/a><\/strong>, shows impressive capacity for action, capitalisation, communication, and mobilisation. Reality is on their side: we must restore our connection to ecosystems \u2014 and the ecosystems themselves. Whether through vast wilderness areas or micro-bioreserves, every effort counts.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading]<\/p>\n

“Young People Want to Act!”<\/strong><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]A key moment for me came with Jo\u00e3o Almeida from the European Young Rewilders<\/a><\/strong>, who was asked how young people view all the issues discussed at the event. His response was clear: \u201cYoung people aren\u2019t interested in reports and dossiers \u2014 they want to act, to do.\u201d Involving young people \u2014 or even following their lead \u2014 is essential, as they bring a fresh, critical perspective, free from the old patterns that got us here.<\/p>\n

In the Southwest, one of the wildest areas is the coastal strip \u2014 and it\u2019s under serious threat. Native forests offer hope, and can be economically productive in diverse, sustainable, and immediate ways. We may lack top predators, but we do have large herbivores, which could gradually be replaced with hardy, native breeds. Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems represent a promising path forward. Local food \u2014 responsible, healthy, and full of the taste of this land \u2014 can lead the way.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s restore hope in a green, vibrant, connected, welcoming, abundant future. It\u2019s entirely in our hands.<\/p>\n

Photos: Cl\u00e1udio Noy[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rewilding Portugal and the Ecoturism<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[210,209,317,302,300,306],"tipos":[105],"destaques":[],"class_list":["post-27404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy-sustainability","tag-alentejo-en","tag-algarve-en","tag-conservation","tag-rota-vicentina-association","tag-sensibilizacao-en","tag-sustentabilidade-en","tipos-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27404"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27425,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27404\/revisions\/27425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27404"},{"taxonomy":"tipos","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tipos?post=27404"},{"taxonomy":"destaques","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destaques?post=27404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}