Our focus is on supporting the forest to grow in resilience through careful management, supporting soil health, and increasing biodiversity. We respect and honour the innate wisdom and capacity of the forest ecosystem to regenerate. Through observation and listening we learn how we can evolve as part of this ecosystem.

The forest provides us with cork, wood, wild fruits, herbs, aromatics and mushrooms.

Monte da Vida is mainly comprised of plantation cork oak forest of different ages. We have been introducing more resilience into this landscape by planting and seeding more varieties of oak tree (other than the cork oak) and by introducing more medronheiro (strawberry tree), hawthorn and other small trees.

We also carry out selective clearing of pioneers such as cistus and broom and bramble, without the use of heavy machinery, and seeding of lupins and clovers in cleared areas to improve soil.

We carefully harvest the cork, by making sure that climatic conditions are right, not taking too much cork from each tree, and making minimum disturbance to the land to allow for natural regeneration.

Read more about the Cork harvest here: https://montedavida.com/cork-harvest/

We have around 10 hectares of Eucalyptus plantation.

• Eucalyptus monocultures in dry climates, such as the Alentejo have several negative impacts on the environment.

  The fast-growing nature of eucalyptus trees and their high water consumption lead to a drying effect on the landscape, depleting groundwater resources and exacerbating water scarcity.

• Eucalyptus trees have shallow root systems that do not provide effective soil stabilization, resulting in increased erosion and soil degradation.
• These monocultures also lack biodiversity, offering limited habitat for native flora and fauna, which can negatively affect the overall ecosystem resilience.
• Eucalyptus plantations are more susceptible to wildfires, as the trees contain volatile oils that contribute to the rapid spread of fires.

To mitigate these negative impacts, we are gradually replacing it with mixed native forest / agroforest.

We cut an area of about 2 hectares of sparsely growing Eucalyptus as part of an earthworks intervention to improve water retention, build soil, and reduce erosion.

Some of the wood was used for timber and firewood.
The rest was buried in the ground to provide biomass for future planted trees. Terraces and swales were made to maximise water capture in the land. The rock and compacted ground were opened with the forks of the bulldozer, and topsoil then replaced.

The lower terraces and slopes were densely planted into a food forest, with fruit and nut trees, berries and vines, support trees, aromatic herbs and perennial vegetables such as artichoke and asparagus.

We established a tree nursery and on the higher slopes we planted resilient dryland species such as oak, pine, medronho, olive.

In 2026 we began harvesting the eucalyptus trees in the bigger plantation area, undertaking it carefully with minimum damage to the other young trees and shrubs growing amongst them. We will harvest gradually over some years. Eventually the mixed forest will take over. Sale of the timber will fund the regeneration of this area. With some larger trees used for our own timber needs for the wood workshop, for small construction projects. Smaller branches can be chipped for biomass.

You can check out our wood products here:

Some parts of the land are being left more wild, with basic clearing of firebreaks and tracks. Denser vegetation provides habitat for many animals. Wildlife refuge in a newly cleared area.

We have a longer-term vision of establishing a Private Natural Reserve in the 60 hectare area of Canafechal and Cavaco. In a copse of tall pines on a hillside is an eagle’s nest that is already under conservation status. We have also spotted a Giant Eagle Owl flying over the land.
In general We have noticed an increase in the diversity of birdlife on the land since being here.

In terms of mammals, there is an abundant population of wild boar. We have also seen mongoose, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, rabbits, hares and genet – either directly or recorded on a wildlife camera.

The lakes are home to numerous frogs, at least one turtle, many brightly coloured dragonflies, and a family of moorhens, as well as less cute creatures such as leeches!

Sometimes heron’s are seen flying over, although we have never put fish in the lake, preferring the aquatic ecosystem to develop naturally.

We are slowly growing a sustainable forest economy. Our main forest income is from the harvesting of cork, but the woodlands offer an abundance of other things that can be sustainably harvested and offered to the wider world to support us in caring and protecting it.

• Medronho fruit
• Aromatic and medicinal plants (tea blends, floral waters, potentially Essential Oils)
• Mushrooms
• Firewood
• Wild herbs such as oregano

The Forest Alchemy range of vibrational tree essences is a co-creation between the human - Clare – and the trees she lives with.

Sometimes we offer opportunities to spend time in the forest, whether through meditation walks, or through survival skills workshops for kids.

We will publicise these when they are happening.