We need to protect oak forests!

Portugal's native oak forests are true bastions of biodiversity, ecological identity and climate resilience. However, these valuable habitats are disappearing, victims of the absence of legislation that effectively protects them from pressure on land use, the expansion of monocultures and the proliferation of invasive species.

It is now up to all of us to change this course. An ongoing petition, to be delivered to the Portuguese Parliament, calls for the urgent creation of a legal framework to safeguard native oak trees and the natural ecosystems where they exist.

Milvoz supports this cause and invites all its followers to sign the petition. Below you can find some of the key points:

• Legal recognition of the ecological and heritage value of Portuguese oak trees;

• The definition of technical criteria for their protection and restoration;

• The creation of incentives for conservation on private and public properties;

• The appreciation of native forests as natural heritage.

Sign the petition and help protecting Portugal's oak forests at: http://participacao.parlamento.pt/initiatives/4977

Following this initiative, Milvoz attended the Meeting for the “Defence, protection and expansion of oak forests in Portugal”, which took place in Coimbra on June 28th. This event explored the possibility of, on the one hand, launching a citizen legislative initiative for the defence of oak trees and oak forests in the country and, on the other hand, discussing the possibility of initiatives aimed at expanding oak forests beyond their current small area, in line with the European Union's current objectives.