BotGarden

Saturday, 20th March 2021 It was a tragic accident. He fell at home, in his garden, from a height of three metres, off his ladder, sustaining lethal injuries. My friend Carlos has now entered the eternal hunting grounds. For me he was an Indian, who came to Monchique from the Alentejo and a foreigner in a community, a friend of nature, wise and modest, calm and well-read, a rather quiet but always attentive fellow. There will be no second Carlos in this world. He gifted us wonderful trees, two pecan nut trees, a chestnut and a cork oak, a token …

Saturday 13 of March 2021 A few days ago I witnessed a very interesting spectacle. One of the reasons for participating in a videoconference with 67 people was to learn how the situation of the forests in Portugal might be improved, but also to present my idea of the Botanic Forest Garden in Monchique. However, all of a sudden the Internet started to take on a life of its own. Someone was stuttering and uttering load animal groans from the dark recess of the World Wide Web, seemingly trying to take part in the discussion, however in their very own …

Saturday 6th of March 2021 This coming Tuesday, 9 March, from 6pm onwards, an exciting ONLINE debate on the Forest of the South will take place. The debate is hosted by the „Floresta Autóctone“ citizens’ action group, whose initiators belong to Portugal’s longest-established association dedicated to nature conservation, CAMPO ABERTO from Oporto. The main topic of debate will be the opportunities and programmes to free forested plots of land of the invasive eucalyptus monoculture which foments climate change through forest fires, and to reforest these plots with native tree species, recreating plant diversity. To this end four moderators from Aljezur …