Recovering an 11-hectare area in Fundão that was completely consumed by the 2025 wildfires and removing it from the real estate speculation circuit is the objective of the Projeto Milagre Association. The organization launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance the acquisition of the land, which it intends to subsequently transfer to a Foundation, ensuring that the property will not be sold again and will be used exclusively for regenerative purposes.
The project envisions transforming the area into a space for experimentation and learning about ecosystem recovery, with interventions including agroforestry systems, gardens, lakes, and ecological corridors. The association also aims to develop on-site territorial management models that contribute to addressing the impacts of wildfires, droughts, and floods.
The 11 hectares correspond to about 15.5 football pitches. So far, 56 people have contributed to the campaign, enabling funding equivalent to 4.6 football pitches. The goal is to raise the amount needed to acquire the entire tract of land. The campaign runs until October 12.
For the Milagre Project, acquiring the property aims to counteract a land-value logic based on its sale, replacing it with a model in which owners assume the role of “guardians” of the territory.
Regeneration as an Alternative
The association identifies three main objectives for the project: to create alternatives to traditional responses to wildfires, floods, droughts, and climate change; to transform a degraded area of Central Portugal into a space for demonstration and learning; and to provide knowledge and practices that can contribute to increasing the resilience of landscapes and communities.
The intervention should focus on recovering the natural water cycles, regenerating soils and ecosystems, and developing agroforestry systems adapted to local conditions.
The strategy also involves establishing partnerships with other initiatives that work on ecosystem restoration and the development of regenerative production models, seeking to create a network of projects oriented toward the sustainability of landscapes and communities.
The Milagre Project presents Monte Milagre as a long-term project, in which permanent land protection is one of the central components. By transferring the property to a Foundation with the obligation to keep it off the market, the association aims to ensure that the land’s future use remains linked to ecological regeneration.
