Wilder Mira

We're really excited to reveal our latest project that's been brewing in the southwest of Portugal to rewild abandoned eucalyptus stands! Firstly, let me introduce myself - I'm Teresa and I'll be heading up this project and our wider efforts to restore the ecological corridor of the River Mira Basin. 

To begin, we're seizing a great opportunity to bring back threatened native forests to a region under desertification by tackling the paradigmatic abandonment of unproductive monocultures. In Portugal, this means stands of eucalyptus.

The eucalyptus issue

This exotic species is from the other side of the globe, yet it's the most planted tree in this part of the world. After some cycles of intensive silviculture, productivity halts and most stands are just left with their cropped stumps. Natural regeneration of other species tries to get going, but the eucalyptus stumps keep re-sprouting, holding back the land in its flow of ecological succession and posing a greater risk of wildfires.

Paving the way for natural regeneration

This is why we're trying to develop a low-impact method for effectively removing the species and restoring native ecosystems in its place. Achieving cost-efficiency is another important goal in our sights to make this a scalable, thus widespread, phenomenon.

This hands-on mission to innovate is beginning right by the Mira River, a key ecological corridor in the south of Portugal, with the idea of boosting our impact in the Alentejo region while doing direct conservation of endangered rich ecosystems, such as Iberian oaklands and riverine forests for species like the European wildcat and otter. 

Pilot plot secured

We have signed the first contract on a plot with a long-term restoration commitment from a landowner, and we have conducted an array of baseline surveys. Our management plan is also ready and we are just closing in on the right partners to help us operate this sensitive work on the ground, starting in the autumn. 

Learn more

Here's our project page if you want more context on how we will intend to remove the eucalyptus trees. There's also some specific FAQs at the bottom of the page with answers to questions we expect some of you might want to know!

I've also attached a short vlog below to show you parts of the project site, and there's also this discussion video if you want to listen at length on how this project came about and the wider context in the Mira River basin.

I'm looking forward to bringing more news from this project over the coming months!

Header image credit: Udo Schwarzer

Our rewilding abandoned eucalyptus plantations project is happening along the Mira River to restore the native habitats, such as oak forests and riparian galleries, of this key ecological corridor for Portugal’s southwest at risk of desertification.

This project should also impact the river freshwater ecosystems, which are also under tremendous pressure from the severe constraining of the river’s minimum ecological flow due to the Santa Clara Dam upstream, which is increasing levels of brackish water coming from downstream where the river opens to the Atlantic Ocean.

Therefore, it’s important for us to monitor aquatic life in the Mira and this is what we show you in this new vlog. Our expert consultant Udo revisits our first project site since he monitored it 5 years ago and surveys the area for aquatic vegetation as well as invasive animals. Unfortunately, only three plant species - Myriophyllum spicatum, Potamogeton pectinatus, and Potamogeton x serrulifer - were found this time, compared to the twelve identified during the previous survey. This decline highlights the growing environmental pressures, which we are committed to reversing.

In this vlog, I also address some of the most common questions from our last vlog about this ambitious project to reconvert an abandoned eucalyptus plantation. Why are we doing this? The answer lies in its benefits for biodiversity and fire prevention. Stay tuned as we share more practical details of the interventions in future updates!

We’re excited to announce the launch of our second project in the Mira basin, located in southwest Portugal! This initiative tackles an urgent conservation challenge in this Mediterranean region: two freshwater fish species that are dangerously close to extinction.

The Mira-chub (Squalius torgalensis) and the Southwestern arched-mouth nase (Iberochondrostoma almacai) are small cyprinid species found exclusively in the Mira river basin (with the Southwestern nase also occurring in a neighbouring basin). This makes them endemic to this area but also, globally threatened at the moment.

Freshwater fish diversity is truly remarkable, accounting for over half of all known fish species. This incredible variety is driven by the isolation of water basins and the resulting speciation within freshwater habitats. However, despite their diversity, freshwater fish are among the most threatened animal groups worldwide, with an alarming 25% of species currently facing the risk of extinction.

Recognising the critical situation faced by these two species in the Mira basin, we’ve devised a comprehensive action plan to tackle their primary pressures and threats, including habitat degradation and invasive species. This plan also emphasises engaging the local community to play a key role in safeguarding not only these species, but also other native freshwater species from the Mira basin that are classified as Endangered or Vulnerable. Additionally, as a precautionary measure, we are preparing an ex-situ reproduction program to provide these species with a vital safety net for their survival.

You can discover these unique fish, the challenges they face and our strategy to protect them on our project page page, through our discussion video or vlog below, where we also share the latest updates on first project in the Mira to rewild abandoned eucalyptus plantations beside the river.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings about this project and I’m curious: Do you know of any endangered freshwater fish in your area too?

We’ve started cutting down eucalyptus trees at a pilot plot for our our Rewilding Abandoned Eucalyptus Plantations project in the Mira Basin of southwest Portugal!

It’s been an eagerly anticipated wait ahead of this exciting yet challenging fieldwork. The technicalities of low-impact felling, which focuses on removing towering non-native trees while preserving native regeneration, are central to our efforts in reaching large-scale rewilding.

In Portugal, abandoned eucalyptus plantations cover an estimated 400,000 hectares. These vast areas provide little ecological value, represent a fire hazard and are a financial burden to landowners. The high costs of dismantling plantations once they become unprofitable leave the industry with two choices: either make a costly investment uprooting old stumps—causing severe soil erosion—or simply abandon the land.

With this in mind, we’ve set out to find a cost-effective and ecologically sound way to restore these lands to native forests. This first plot is a true pilot, where we’re testing different forestry techniques and technology, refining a scalable methodology that we can share beyond our own efforts too.

To launch this work, we partnered with ProNativa, a local closer-to-nature forestry company. Their team is already on the ground, starting with the priority area along the river, where towering eucalyptus trees are suffocating native riparian species. Their arborists climb to the top of the tallest eucalyptus (which sway alarmingly at that height!) and use ropes to control the precise directional felling of the stems. We’re grateful for their expertise, as they work with great care to minimise disturbance to the soil and native vegetation while tackling this difficult extraction process.

Work is progressing smoothly, and we are optimistic that the most challenging removals will be completed before summer. Meanwhile, our Mira Basin team, now with two valuable new members, is learning from ProNativa to later continue the remaining area of our pilot plot. Once all eucalyptus trees are removed, we will focus on controlling stump re-sprouting and assisting natural regeneration across the site.

This is just the beginning of an exciting journey—follow along with us!

Work at our pilot plot for the Rewilding Abandoned Eucalyptus Plantations project is progressing as well as we could hope. Our partners at ProNativa are steadily felling the towering eucalyptus trees along nearly 1.75 km of riparian gallery. The removal work in the steep valley’s sensitive bottom is nearing completion, and soon, the arborists will move on to the next challenging section further uphill.

Learning the ropes

Meanwhile, our team has begun assisting in the field, learning to selectively clear brambles (Rubus ulmifolius) and rough bindweed (Smilax aspera) - thorny climbing plants that obstruct access to the eucalyptus stumps awaiting removal. With resprouting expected soon, we’re preparing for regular stump-cutting, especially for those near the river, to prevent regrowth.

Forestry student joins the project

Additionally, a forestry student has joined us for her curricular internship. She’s conducting a detailed forest inventory of both felled and standing eucalyptus, helping us model abandoned plantations to estimate labour needs and potential returns that could offset project costs. She will also map natural regeneration, providing a valuable baseline for our broader goal of native forest restoration.

Native plant nursery's looking good

More good news from the Mira Basin - our native plant nursery is off to a strong start! We began with two key riparian tree species: alder (Alnus glutinosa) and ash (Fraxinus angustifolia). So far, we’ve seeded 21 germination plates of alder and 45 of ash.

The alders are sprouting vigorously, with an estimated 950 seedlings already emerging - and more on the way. Ash trees take a bit longer to germinate, but we’ve already counted around 400 seedlings from the first batch of eight germination plates. The remaining 37 plates, seeded later, are just beginning to show signs of growth.

These early successes mark the beginning of an exciting journey. Our work will contribute to riparian gallery restoration along the Mira River at our Rewilding Abandoned Eucalyptus Plantations pilot plot, as well as other streams identified as key habitat restoration sites for the Saving Endemic Fish project.

If you're interested to hear more background on our work in the Mira, here is a podcast in Portuguese for the European Young Rewilders.

We’ve got lots of exciting updates in this monthly roundup from our Wilder Mira hub in southwest Portugal!

First, our efforts to eradicate abandoned stands of non-native eucalyptus trees on our pilot plot are progressing well. The first batch of felled logs is being transported out of the forest. Watch this vlog to see the cleared areas and the naturally regenerating native species we're protecting on-site. We also explain how we're managing stump regrowth and how selling the eucalyptus is helping us reinvest in the project.

Next, we visit our native plant nursery, where Francisco updates us on our young ash and alder trees. The nursery is already looking vibrant and lush!

Flora then introduces our next mission in the Mira, focused on tackling the growing threat of aquatic invasive alien species. This critical project aims to control species like the Atlantic blue crab—a voracious predator threatening native species, including some of the rare fish from our Saving Endemic Fish project.

We also share wildlife camera trap footage that some of you will help us review, and we wrap up on a positive note with some encouraging changes happening in the region!

In this latest update from the field, our team from Portugal's Mira basin are setting up new methods of monitoring ecosystems.

Firstly, we’re using bioacoustics to record natural soundscapes, helping us track the health of different ecosystems. Alongside this, we’re also collecting eDNA samples to reveal which species are present in the freshwater systems.

Both of these are really useful techniques that should allow us to identify priority areas for ecological restoration.

Check it out, it's a great episode for those who love to see technology in action in nature!