Biodiversity Preservation
The Montado do Freixo do Meio is home to over 1,000 cataloged species, both wild and domestic, including the elusive wildcat, which is emblematic due to its status as an endangered species. It coexists with species such as the northern goshawk, Bonelli’s eagle, the booted eagle, the short-toed eagle, the red heron, the white stork, the honey buzzard, the orange-bellied newt, the pygmy marbled newt, and many other ecologically important beings.
The splendor of the Montado, resulting from the ancient Portuguese forests of cork oak and holm oak, is a medieval, if not Neolithic, agroforestry system. It reflects a relationship of respect and harmony between humans and nature, developed over centuries. The beauty and magnificence of the Montado are founded on a symbiotic network of cooperation among many different species of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. It is a true inspiration for our human community.
The domestic animal species present in Montado do Freixo do Meio (MFM) now fulfill the ecological roles that wild species used to perform before they were driven to extinction (such as the aurochs, wild horse, and ibex). These include six of the most ancient breeds of the Iberian Peninsula, closest to their wild ancestors: the Barrosã cattle, Black Merino sheep, Alentejo pig, Sorraia horse, Bagueiro donkey, and Lusitânia black hen.
This important Mediterranean ecosystem is a globally recognized biodiversity refuge, where one can discover both wild and domestic life, as well as observe the integration of these two worlds in an agroecological model that supports the coexistence of a food production system with high levels of biodiversity and ecological functionality.
Integral to this ancient, biodiverse system are the gardens, agroforestry systems, food transformation units, the social component of the traditional Alentejo Montado, and the people who use it.
Despite the efforts made in this project, this treasure we depend on is genuinely threatened: by economic pressures, human attitudes, climate change, and other factors. Over the last fifty years, we have lost more than half of the world’s domestic biodiversity, created through an incalculable collective human effort.
This portal catalogs over a thousand species living in the Protected Landscape of Montado do Freixo do Meio.
Our mission is to build a community around Herdade Freixo do Meio that is democratic, inclusive, transparent, autonomous, and resilient, that achieves a constantly improving relationship with natural resources, and that encourages personal development.
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