Crowdfunding 2022
Expansion of Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve!
For the safeguarding of vulnerable strongholds of native woodland, and the guarantee of their preservation for the future!
Initial goal achieved: 22.000€
The Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve will always remain in our hearts and in the hearts of those who visit it. It is a true oasis of biodiversity, a reservoir of life, a place of contemplation and an exploration territory for any naturalist.
Thanks to your help, the expansion of the Bio-Reserve's area is now underway!
In order to combat the threats posed by the felling of fabulous native woodlands, the spread of invasive exotic forest and the loss of biodiversity that these entail, Milvoz ran a fundraising campaign that is now enabling the acquisition of new land on the outskirts of the Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve. The motto behind this campaign was the destruction of one of the priority areas for expansion that had already been pre-planned, a grove of poplars and willows that was thriving on this highly valuable marshy land.
Indiscriminate felling of forests like these happens every day, taking us further and further down the road of no return, which is the impoverishment of biodiversity through habitat loss. In addition, the carbon dioxide that has been stored in the tissue of these trees for so many years is lost to the atmosphere, going in the opposite direction to what we want in the fight against climate change.
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Milvoz suggests a different approach, based on nature and the traditional rural landscape. This means that our reserves will always remain wild and biodiverse forests, with as little disturbance as possible, while still practising environmental education and awareness-raising with the involvement of local communities, in order to spread the important message of safeguarding the natural heritage. We have every reason to continue practising balanced environmental management in harmony with the ecosystem that exists on the slopes of the Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve. Since 2019, when this Bio-Reserve was created, the quality of the water and the beauty of the riparian gallery have risen considerably and we have favoured the occurrence of various species by simply creating ponds, shelters and producing bird nest boxes and ecologically improving degraded areas. With your help, this reality will be extended to new locations and will favour communities of several dozen plant and animal species.
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The retention of water in the soil, the natural resistance to fires and the absence of substances harmful to organisms are unique qualities that rarely come together on the North and Centre of Portugal, which is largely plagued by agroforestry monocultures and invasive alien species. We want to fight to reverse the situation and give the Coimbra region back its natural forest: oak trees, chestnut trees, willow trees and elm trees, whose falling leaves become yearly the ideal substrate for primroses and orchids.
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This heritage keeps the cycles of the ecosystem alive and healthy and provides us with free and crucial services that ensure our well-being and survival. This area can be described as an explosion of nectar for the pollinators on which we depend, a place with a cool microclimate that is particularly pleasant on the hottest days, and a true trap for carbon, which we are trying to retain in the soil to fight climate change. The Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve is an example of the solution we must implement now to face the problems of the future, which are becoming more and more present.
LET'S GO TO THIS EXPANSION?
Inverno
In the first stage, Milvoz' goal is to acquire parcels of land very close to what is now the Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve. It includes both the most extraordinary spaces in the vicinity, which we want to prevent from an unfortunate destiny such as the recently felled marshy woodland, and pieces of land that will need some ecological restoration work. In these areas, we will implement the kind of management we have been using since the beginning. The aim is to eliminate the current existing disturbances and restore the environmental stability that once prevailed here.
First target achieved!
22,000 (cost of land acquisition and respective deeds)
Having reached the target for the first stage, we moved on to the second stage, whose aim was to acquire an additional plot of land on which we intended to later create an interpretive centre which would allow visitors to learn about the history of Milvoz and, in particular, the Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve and its abundant natural values. This site would also make it possible to diversify the Bio-Reserve's natural heritage, thanks to its beautiful traditional olive grove, which brings to mind the sustainable human use of the land when local communities depended on what they produced from it. With a privileged view of the humid hillside forest, this piece of land would bring the possibility of implementing various initiatives, such as creating a forest nursery or improving the trails that connect the places of interest in this area.
Second target not reached
11,000 (cost of land acquisiton and respective deed)
Total target: €22,000 (first phase) + €11,000 (second phase) = €33,000
Acquisition process
Thanks to all the contributions made by citizens, Milvoz is now in the process of acquiring the land with the greatest importance and ecological value that needs to be protected.
All the expansions will be publicised and at the end a map will be made updating the new areas of the Senhora da Alegria Bio-Reserve.
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Visit us to find out more about this project!