The European Nature Trust is supporting local partners in their efforts to invigorate Portugal's natural wealth. The country still teems with pristine environments: wild river gorges, oak forests, rocky heathlands, native grasslands and Dehesa create a rich mosaic of landscapes.

But over the centuries, profound changes have occurred across Portuguese ecosystems. Depopulation has reduced the level of grazing on the land, allowing monotonous, fire-prone scrubland to emerge across the Iberian Peninsula. Wild herbivore numbers have reduced due to overhunting and habitat loss; infrastructural expansion has isolated subpopulations of carnivores; and natural forests are being replaced by fire-prone monocultures. The restoration of natural processes, where humans and wildlife coexist, is the key to resolving these environmental issues.