Rewilding Portugal

Rewilding Portugal is an environmental NGO and the main partner of Rewilding Europe in the Greater Côa Valley rewilding area. Working closely with its European network, its team focuses on restoring natural processes, reintroducing key species, and engaging local communities. 

The Greater Côa Valley forms a vital wildlife corridor linking Portugal’s mountainous interior with the Douro River and surrounding protected areas. Strengthening this corridor is essential for the recovery of threatened species, including the black stork and Iberian wolf. Decades of land abandonment, forestry, and habitat fragmentation have degraded ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and resilience to wildfire and climate change. Restoring healthy forests, wetlands, and grazing landscape is crucial for reversing these trends. 

An ERF grant will support Rewilding Portugal in purchasing strategic plots, creating new nature reserves, and developing wetland features that support wildlife and improve water retention. Funding will also back rewilding initiatives such as the management of semi-wild Sorraia horse herds, and ongoing habitat restoration benefiting flagship species. The aim of these activities, long-term, is to facilitate a self-sustaining landscape where biodiversity, local livelihoods, and climate resilience can flourish.