The Network of Mountain Villages will begin on Friday, in the locality of Lapa dos Dinheiros, in the municipality of Seia, the first Mountain Agroecology School dedicated to the chestnut tree and to the regeneration of the soutos of the Serra da Estrela.
The initiative is part of the Academy of the Mountain Villages, “a new model of intervention in the territory that brings together technical knowledge, through the partnership with the Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, and the know-how of local communities,” the promoters stated in a press release sent to the Lusa agency.
“This union serves as the basis for a model of community and regenerative tourism, in which the tourist is not a mere spectator, but is actively involved in the preservation of the landscape,” the Network of Mountain Villages said.
The objective is to value “landscapes of economic and environmental value, promoting literacy about the territory, helping to distinguish between a simple green patch and a living and biodiverse forest, and reinforcing that not always the ‘green’ means environmental value.”
In the Mountain Agroecology School, which will run until Sunday, the tourist/visitor assumes the role of “caretaker” of the landscape and will contribute to the renewal of the soutos of Lapa dos Dinheiros, located in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park (PNSE).
The activity dedicated to ‘Cultures of the Chestnut’ includes the carrying out of a grafting workshop with the participation of the people from the village, who, “by sharing their knowledge, demonstrate that intelligent landscape management is the basis for the region’s future economic.”
“The objective is to regenerate the soutos as assets that ensure the regulation of the hydrological cycle, soil conservation, carbon dioxide sequestration, biodiversity promotion and, at the same time, generate direct economic value for the populations and for the tourism sector.”
In Lapa dos Dinheiros there will be “moments of knowledge transfer”, through the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), the Higher School of Agriculture of Viseu (ESAV) and the Serra da Estrela Interpretation Centre (CISE), in Seia.
The activity also includes moments of “gastronomic immersion”, such as the ‘Shared Table’, and an artistic record created by the Urban Sketchers drawing collective.
“With the Mountain Agroecology School a new paradigm is proposed where the tourist learns, but also actively contributes to regenerating landscapes, creating a link with the territory,” said the Network of Mountain Villages.
More editions of the Mountain Agroecology School are already planned in other Mountain Villages on topics adapted to the specifics and resources of each locality.
This initiative is part of the Collective Efficiency Strategy (EEC) PROVERE Mountain Villages 2030, with co-financing from the Centro 2030 program.
Founded in April 2013, the Association for Integrated Development of the Network of Mountain Villages (ADIRAM) is based in Seia, in the Guarda district.
The Network of Mountain Villages includes 41 localities in the municipalities of Fornos de Algodres, Gouveia, Manteigas, Celorico da Beira, Guarda, in the Guarda district, Covilhã and Fundão, in the Castelo Branco district, and Oliveira do Hospital, in the Coimbra district.
These villages are located in the Serra da Estrela and in the Serra da Gardunha.
