Students from Universidade Nova de Lisboa will climb the Monchique mountains to learn how to take care of the ecosystems, in a scientific visit that will take place from today until Friday, as part of the project “Renature Monchique".
University students will participate "in an initiative to raise awareness of the potential for ecological restoration of ecosystems and the level of soil degradation affected by the fire in the Monchique mountain range, the largest in Europe in 2018", according to those responsible for "Renature Monchique" .
"The ecological restoration process requires the active participation of the scientific community, so we will continue to invest in partnerships with universities and other leading institutions in the field of environmental research and innovation", illustrated Marlene Alves, president of GEOTA – Study Group of Spatial Planning and Environment, the entity that coordinates “Renature Monchique”.
Since October, around 30 trees have been planted under this initiative, financed by Ryanair, «the company that wanted to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from its flights in this way».
The project also has the support of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), the municipality of Monchique and the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
By April, Monchique oaks, chestnuts, cork oaks, among other native species will be planted, totaling 75 trees.
"At a time when our collective future on Earth is so debated and when the European Union is trying to strengthen its role as a global leader on climate issues, any initiative aimed at preserving ecosystems and raising environmental awareness is to be welcomed." defended João Fernandes, president of the RTA.
«The Renature Monchique project has this merit. On a micro scale, it intervenes in the territory, mobilizes civil society for the restoration of forest habitats inserted in their areas of residence and now even proposes to train young people through a pedagogical action in the mountains», added the same person in charge.
Susana Brito, communication manager for Ryanair in Portugal and Spain, congratulates «University Nova students for their participation in this rewarding project that Ryanair is pleased to be able to support, thanks to the great adhesion of customers to the program to offset emissions from CO2. Through voluntary donations, Ryanair's customers contribute to restoring an important area of forest habitats, devastated by fires in the Monchique region».
For student Jessica Loureiro from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, participating in the «Renature Monchique» is «an opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired at the university, with the aim of helping the local community and biodiversity», says the student who does not hide having chosen an academic path in the field of Environmental Engineering to «help the planet».
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