The first two are native to other European countries and the last one to North America. There are also exotic species of Pinus, such as the black pine ( Pinus nigra) which has been planted quite widely, the Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis) and the Monterey pine ( Pinus radiata).
Portuguese pines forests are, therefore, mostly made up of the Pinus species most commonly seen in Portugal, the maritime pine, but also the stone pine ( Pinus pinea) and the less frequent Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris), considered rare (there is only one native population in Gerês) and endangered, according to the Red List of Vascular Plants for Mainland Portugal. Once again, maritime pines were the species of choice. At that time, there were also large-scale reforestation campaigns of waste land, in which thousands of hectares of trees were planted on mountain slopes, especially in the centre and north of the country (Serra da Estrela and Serra do Gerês, for example). In 1936, more than 23 000 hectares of dunes had been planted with trees, mainly pine, and it is to these that Jaime Cortesão refers when he talks about the “penisco” – one of the names given to the seeds of the maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster). The Leiria Pine Forest, where planting began during the reign of King Afonso III (1210-1279), bears witness to this and was one of the first reforestation initiatives in the world.Ĭenturies later (from the 18th century onwards), new pine forest habitats were created from the Minho to the Algarve to halt the advance of coastal sand, which threatened to occupy villages and agricultural fields, and silt up river mouths. Several types of trees we know as pine (a species of the genus Pinus) grow naturally in Portugal, but the large areas of pine forest that stretch from north to south would not exist if they had not been planted. On the high waves of sand, the green foam of the scrub was born and the pine trees, dark and rough, sank their roots”, wrote Jaime Cortesão (1884-1960), in “Portugal, Land and Man”, describing one of the biggest ever reforestation campaigns, to which the Portuguese coastline owes its pine forest habitat. The chaotic sea of dunes, which was progressively encroaching on the farmland, was contained and sown with pine. Also available are the commitments and indicators related to Biodiversity at The Navigator Company. With this set of bibliographic resources, mostly in Portuguese and English, it becomes easier to understand the challenges of biodiversity, follow its evolution, and consult information on the risk status and protection of species and habitats. Here you will find a digital (bio)library that brings together the main commitments, knowledge, initiatives and tools on biodiversity. From birds to mammals and reptiles, insects, fungi and a wide range of flowers, shrubs and trees, learn about the species already identified in the woodlands managed by The Navigator Company, their habitats, and what is being done to preserve and, whenever possible, improve them. The species and habitats from the north to the south of Portugal, particularly in forest and agro areas, are the focus of this gallery which, as a whole, portrays the biological diversity of the country.
Also learn about what is being done in the woodlands under The Navigator Company’s management to promote diversity in forest ecosystems, preserve the forest’s productive functions and conserve its social and economic functions. Through them, you will learn more about initiatives that seek to deepen, preserve, and restore biological diversity, from scientific knowledge to good practices applied in the field. Biodiversity, its importance, challenges and indicators are some of the topics that you can follow here.
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