Albufeira planted 10 cork oaks, last Friday, November 26, at Quinta de Alpouvar, next to the Community Gardens, to mark the Day of the Autochthonous Forest.
The acorns of the 10 cork oaks planted at Quinta de Alpouvar were collected in November 2019, in Monchique, and germinated in the facilities of the Centro de Ciência Viva do Algarve.
Each cork oak is on average 20 centimeters tall, but it will only be possible to carry out the first cork extraction in 25 years from now. For the planting «Ectoplant Protection tablets were used», says the City Council of Albufeira.
José Carlos Rolo emphasizes that the action has enormous symbolism, since the preservation and planting of native species such as the cork oak «constitutes an asset in terms of the conservation of nature and biodiversity, production of oxygen, fixation of gases greenhouse effect, protection of the soil and aquifers, as well as the recovery of burnt areas'.
José Carlos Rolo highlights that this type of action meets the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations: Terrestrial Life, which aims to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage the forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and loss of biodiversity.
The mayor is convinced that the collaboration of everyone is essential to ensure these goals, so he challenges the community (schools, associations, companies and citizens in general) to collect some seeds of native species, make them germinate and then proceed with the planting them on available land, so that everyone can be part of the process, contributing to the preservation of our municipality's natural heritage and biodiversity.
The initiative was also attended by the head of the Algarve Living Science Center Cristina Veiga-Pires. In 2011, the Assembly of the Republic gave the cork oak the symbolic status of “National Tree”, drawing attention to its economic, social and environmental value.
The Native Forest Day, which is celebrated annually on November 23, was created with the aim of promoting and publicizing the importance of conserving natural forests, namely species that are part of the Portuguese natural heritage.
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