From May 28th to 30th, the 4th Monitoring Committee of the REFLORESTA project was held in Manteigas, Portugal, attended by technical teams from the 10 participating entities across two countries. The event was hosted by QUERCUS, the Portuguese project partner.
REFLORESTA («Technological, social, and governance innovation to improve prevention and accelerate the recovery of ecosystems and landscapes affected by wildfires») is a multi-regional cooperation initiative within the framework of the Interreg Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP) 2021–2027. With a budget of over 2 million euros, the project began in late 2023 and will run for three years, until September 2026.
The project is led by the Regional Ministry for Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy (Junta de Andalucía) as the Lead Beneficiary. The consortium also includes: the Andalusian Environment and Water Agency (AMAYA), the University of A Coruña (UdC), the University of Córdoba (UCO), the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), BOREAS, IDAF, AGUIARFLORESTA, QUERCUS, and the Regional Ministry of Environment, Housing and Land Planning (Junta de Castilla y León). During the Monitoring Committee meeting, participants reviewed the technical and financial progress of the project’s various activities. A field visit was also conducted to one of the six pilot restoration areas included in the project (2 in Castile and León, 2 in Andalusia, and 2 in Portugal). This visit took place in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, a site impacted by wildfires in 2005 and 2022, where QUERCUS is working in collaboration with partners such as the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and SAPADORES FLORESTAIS (from the Manteigas and São Pedro municipalities).
The Serra da Estrela Natural Park is the largest protected area in Portugal. It is located in the central mountain massif, on a high plateau sloping northeast and deeply carved by the valleys of rivers such as the Mondego and Zêzere, which originate in this area.
The forest fire that affected Serra da Estrela in August 2005 burned approximately 2,500 hectares of vegetation. It was considered one of the worst wildfires in the region in the two previous decades, causing significant environmental, social, and economic damage. The fire also destroyed diverse habitats, including heathlands, Juniper scrublands, Arbutus groves, mountain meadows, and various forest formations.
In comparison, the 2022 wildfire in the same area was far more devastating, affecting approximately 26,000 hectares—around 26% of the entire park. As a result, the Portuguese government declared a state of calamity in the region for one year to facilitate environmental and social recovery.