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Eco123 Revista da Economia e Ecologia
Saturday, 10th October 2020
… there was a beautiful valley, with a hard-to-pronounce name, Esgravatadouro, and a brook running through it. This rivulet provided water for the many trees and plants growing in the fertile soil around it. In 2018, a devastating fire killed off over 80% of those trees and shrubs: carob trees, umbrella pines, cedars, junipers and many more, thousands of different species.
Some managed to survive. This is how Nature works, keeping seeds and roots in the ground, ready to help the landscape burst to life again next spring. ECO123 decided to reforest this valley, planting 1001 new trees spread across countless different species. Motivated by the idea of the biodiversity we were going to create we started cleaning the valley, removing the burnt tree trunks. Due to its difficult access it took many months to carry the burnt remainder to the place where the woodchipper was set up.
After that we hired a topographer, to carry out a detailed survey, and to be able to plan new terraces and pathways that would also contribute to keeping the water in the soil. The spring was connected to a tank, and a cistern was built. The soil and the roots of the trees and shrubs need water to survive, as do all of us[JE: this last part only in German, not in PT version]. Our challenge is to breathe life into this project to replant woodlands with an outstanding level of biodiversity. Today, Saturday, 10 October, is our first Open Day and we would like to invite you to come and visit the Esgravatadouro.
Today also marks the start of www.umundu.org, an initiative dedicated to ways transforming our society into something more sustainable. Many interesting events will take place during the week of the UMUNDU festival. We have secured the participation of, for example, the COOPÉRNICO energy cooperative, the MINGA cooperative, the HERDADE FREIXO DO MEIO and ZERO, alongside many other institutions. While some events are happening online, others are scheduled to take place face-to-face, both in closed spaces and open-air.
The presentation of the new Botanical Gardens of Caldas de Monchique (Esgravatadouro) is one of the local events forming part of the programme. The presentation of the project is scheduled for 2pm and is limited to ten guests, but there are still spaces. Anyone interested in finding out more about this project ESGRAVATADOURO, Cooperativa do Ambiente CRL, is very welcome. To register, contact: info@eco123.info, https://www.umundu.pt/programa/ or call 926 600 099.
