The Serra da Estrela today faces a set of environmental and social pressures that threaten the balance of its ecosystems and the benefits they provide to local populations. The project “SerE+ – Network of Ecosystem Services Acceleration Areas in Serra da Estrela”, which will be presented this afternoon, aims precisely to create a network with a view to promoting the conservation of natural values and ecological restoration in the region, the well-being of local populations and economic sustainability.
In an interview with Green Savers, Pedro Horta, coordinator of the project implemented by a consortium led by the environmental non-governmental organization Palombar – Conservation of Nature and Rural Heritage, explains that the mountains of the Mediterranean region, and Serra da Estrela in particular, “are territories extremely vulnerable to a large set of anthropogenic threats, among which climate change stands out.” The main objective, he adds, “is to safeguard the ecosystem services that we are gradually losing and to enhance them in places with the best characteristics for investment in environmental restoration.”
The project leader, involving three additional entities: CE3C – Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon; the Municipality of Seia, through the Serra da Estrela Interpretation Center; and the Doñana Biological Station of the Spanish CSIC, states that “these areas will function as micro-reserves distributed across the territory and will serve as a source of ecosystem services and biodiversity for adjacent areas, but also for future generations.”
What motivated the creation of the SerE+ project and what gaps does it aim to fill in the management and conservation of Serra da Estrela?
The Mediterranean mountains, and Serra da Estrela in particular, are territories extremely vulnerable to a large set of anthropogenic threats, among which climate change stands out, with large fires being their most visible aspect, but also habitat fragmentation, large infrastructures, etc., to which are added important social issues such as rural exodus, aging populations and the abandonment of traditional agro-silvopastoral activities. These threats condition regional development by directly impacting the services provided by natural ecosystems to populations, health and human activities. On the other hand, they also directly affect the loss of quality of life of populations. The conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services in Serra da Estrela are truly strategic from a regional and national perspective, since many Portuguese people benefit from them: think of the 6 million people who benefit from the water capture, purification, and conveyance services of the Mondego, Alva and Zêzere river basins and sub-basins – which supply urban areas on the coast such as Coimbra or Lisbon – or the millions of tourists who annually visit Serra da Estrela benefiting from a type of well-being and leisure services in a natural space unique in the national context.
When we talk about “ecosystem services,” what concrete benefits are we talking about for the territory and for local populations?
Wild species and natural and semi-natural habitats provide critical services for the balance of the natural system on which humans depend. There are important provisioning services, for example of foods (chestnuts, medronho, mushrooms), wood, stone, natural pastures for animal feeding, etc.; supporting services, such as soils (fundamental for agriculture) or biodiversity; or other critical services of climate regulation and carbon sequestration, pollination, decomposition and mineralization of organic matter. In the Serra da Estrela context, it is indispensable to speak of water-related services, from regulating the hydrological cycle, capture, natural storage and distribution, filtration and purification of water, provision of water for irrigation and dissolved minerals and mechanical energy of natural origin – (e.g., water mills or hydropower for local populations). On the other hand, the health benefits of Serra da Estrela’s ecosystem services have long been known, including medicinal plants and waters, the mountain’s “clean” air with cardio-respiratory and immunological benefits, the control of disease vectors by insectivorous animals – such as bats – and the prevention of zoonoses by necrophagous animals like vultures or foxes. All these services benefit every inhabitant of Serra da Estrela, as well as those who live and work there—shepherds, farmers, beekeepers, resin tappers, foresters, builders, industries (for example water-extraction companies, distilleries, processing industries), mushroom collectors, tourism and hospitality businesses, nature photographers, etc.
Population groups living in the border areas of Serra da Estrela and those located downstream of the Mondego, Alva and Zêzere river basins also benefit from these services, as do all the people who annually visit Serra da Estrela.
What does the practical creation of a Network of Acceleration Areas involve and how will it be operationalized on the ground?
The first requirement is to prioritize the areas most important for nature conservation and, at the same time, with the greatest potential for environmental restoration. Secondly, it is necessary to map ecosystem services to identify the locations that provide the greatest quantity of services. It is through the cross-referencing of these locations that we will identify the network of Acceleration Areas, which correspond to the most important zones from a natural standpoint and that provide the greatest quantity of ecosystem services. As part of the SerE+ project, we will develop environmental restoration actions in a pilot area located in the municipality of Seia, as a demonstrator of the type of interventions that enhance ecosystem services.
What environmental and territorial challenges are most urgent for this project to address in Serra da Estrela?
The main objective is to safeguard the ecosystem services that we are gradually losing and to enhance them in places with the best characteristics for investment in environmental restoration. Prioritize to achieve the best environmental results with the least possible investment. These areas will function as micro-reserves distributed across the territory and will serve as a source of services and biodiversity for adjacent areas, but also for future generations.
How does SerE+ link nature conservation with community well-being and the region’s economic sustainability?
On one hand, the creation of the network aims to create areas targeted at environmental restoration and conservation of nature; on the other hand, safeguarding and enhancing ecosystem services directly benefits the well-being and economic activities of communities, shepherds, farmers, etc. Finally, through a non-financial economic valuation exercise of the ecosystem services of a pilot area, we will be able to extrapolate and calculate the value of the network, enabling managers and decision-makers to understand the value of these places and, from that knowledge, make the best choices for their preservation.
What will be the role of the involved municipalities and how will the coordination between science, territorial management and political decision-making be ensured?
The SerE+ project consortium includes the Municipality of Seia, through the Serra da Estrela Interpretation Center, but it will also involve the other municipalities that comprise the Serra da Estrela Natural Park. One of the project’s most important aspects is the involvement of local populations and institutions in the scientific process we will develop to quantify ecosystem services. A collaborative platform will be created that will meet 3 times during the first year of the project—in 3 collaborative workshops—where the municipalities, the natural park, but also other local actors, such as shepherds, forest associations, etc., will be invited to contribute their perception of the importance of each habitat in providing a set of nature services that will be selected by this working group to respond to the regional reality. We count on the direct involvement of the municipalities in the process of creating the Network of Ecosystem Services Acceleration Areas with their commitment to safeguard it, potentially through its integration into municipal management instruments, for the good of their own populations and their economic activity.
What advantages does the cooperation between Portuguese and Spanish entities bring to this project, notably through the participation of CSIC?
The involvement of the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC is a huge asset for this project, notably thanks to Dr. Virgilio Hermoso, who is one of Europe’s leading specialists in spatial prioritization. International cooperation, but mainly the extensive knowledge of all the partners involved, guarantees the consortium’s capacity to achieve the project’s ambitious objectives.
What indicators will allow evaluating the SerE+ project’s success during its implementation period, between 2025 and 2028?
The project is organized into four phases, evenly distributed across the three years of implementation. By the end of the first year, we aim to have created all prioritization cartography and ecosystem services mapping. By the end of the second year, we expect to have the network mapped with proper in-situ validation and the cartographic information made freely available through an interactive Web-GIS. By the end of the third year, the environmental restoration interventions in the pilot area should be completed and a thematic walking trail created in the same location.
Finally, the degree of community involvement in the different phases of the project over the three years will also be an important indicator of its capacity to intervene in the territory.
Can this project serve as a model for other protected areas in Portugal or elsewhere in similar contexts?
Undoubtedly, replicability is one of the most interesting aspects of this project. Two scientific articles are planned to compile the innovations that we will need to introduce in spatial modeling procedures to apply at a regional scale an approach normally used at supranational scale and to introduce restoration potential into the models. In the end, the proposed approach, which fuses scientific innovation with nature conservation and territorial management, could enhance results and be replicated in the context of other regions (protected areas or not).
What impact do you expect SerE+ to have in the medium and long term on Serra da Estrela’s resilience to climate change?
When fully implemented, the Network of Ecosystem Services Acceleration Areas in Serra da Estrela will constitute a fundamental instrument of territorial management, allowing the safeguarding of ecosystem services in the context of climate change. In this way, it will contribute to strengthening nature conservation, to the well-being of the populations, and to the dynamization of the regional economy. However, for this network to be effective, a solid commitment from local and regional authorities to its management and protection will be indispensable. The SerE+ project will nonetheless create all the technical, institutional, and operational bases necessary for its full implementation.
Lastly, the economic valuation of the network will play a strategic role as a tool to support negotiations between local authorities and national and European authorities, particularly in response to future extreme climatic events, such as large-scale fires, allowing the territory to be compensated for losses of services provided by nature.
How can local populations actively involve themselves in this project and benefit from the actions planned?
Local populations can engage actively in several ways. One practical form of participation will be the use of the collaborative platform. Another possibility is the interest in integrating private lands into the Network of Ecosystem Services Acceleration Areas, promoting environmental restoration actions.
Volunteering in some restoration actions in the pilot area will also be possible, such as invasive species control work. Finally, enjoying the walking path also constitutes a way of involvement in the project. In this sense, the integration of local populations’ perceptions about the benefits that ecosystems provide to their quality of life will be particularly valued.
