Natural Wealth

The landscape of Freixo do Meio is an illustration of the great diversity in experiencing the project, as well as of the interaction with the natural systems, keeping the focus on what people need, and not only on what can be sold, through a use of resources defined by limits and rules.

While not under any conservation official program, it represents however an area with several habitats included in the Natura 2000 network.

Continuous area of more than 400 ha of priority habitat 6310- «Evergreen Quercus spp. Montado» with diverse tree and bush patches, being an important refuge for wildlife and autochthonous plants.
Vegetation patches associated with rocky outcrops with strawberry tree (habitat 5330pt3) and acidophile kermes oak (habitat 5330pt6). It’s an area of overlapping of the distribution of various oaks, besides several hybrids, and presents a high specific biodiversity with over 1000 species of animals, fungus and plants.

The presence of several species of mammals considered vulnerable is confirmed, as well as that of several species of birds considered vulnerable or threatened.

Other points of interest:

Plant species of community interest for conservation.
Mixed galleries of oak and ash where recently a new, not yet identified oak was found among Portuguese oak and kermes oak.
Monumental tree where centennial olive trees take the center stage.
Ponds, dams, river deeps and lakes.
Over 130 species of registered fungus, with ecological and gastronomical value.