Guardians Worldwide

Portelas Forest Reserve is a 5-hectare protected woodland in Penamacor, Beira Baixa, straddling the border with Spain

Situated at the foothills of Serra Malcata Nature Reserve, Portelas is owned by Guardians Worldwide. The land is dedicated to the protection of native trees, native soils and biodiversity. It is home to many native species of animal including deer, wild boar, mongoose and Iberian lynx (currently extinct, but in the process of reintrocution)

Reforestation
& Land regeneration

Cultural valorisation

Habitat restoration
& fire-smart design

Floresta de Portelas lies a few miles south of Serra Gardunha and Serra Malcata, which mark the ecological boundary between Northern and Southern Portugal, in a land corridor characterized by mild micro-climate and the abundance of surface water. The area is home to many species of native animals such as wild boar, deer, mongoose, and lynx (now extinct, and in the process of being retroduced to Malcata).

The land has an elevation of 576 meters. It is part of the granite ridge of Monsanto, near the Spanish and Portuguese border.

Reserva Florestal Portelas

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Upcoming events

Portugal 125

Fundraising campaign for Floresta Portelas led by ultra marathon runner Kilian Cook (Endurance4Earth), who is running 125 kilometres to raise money for reforestation in our reserve!

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Zezere River Retreat

April 30- Dec 15

4-day immersive retreat on river guardianship, cultural stewardship and personhood of river in beattiful River Zezere, Portugal Centro.

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Volunteering

Penamacor

Come plant trees with us in Reserva Portelas. We are planting 250 trees between now and the end of the year and we are organising regular sessions for you to join if you are close by!

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Floresta Portelas

The land is dominated by four different species of native oak: namely, cork oak (quercus suber), holly oak (quercus ilex), holm oak (quercus rotundifolia) and common oak (quercus robur). There are numerous smaller species on site like strawberry trees (arbutus unedo), native shrubs, as well as a variety of aromatic and medicinal plants.

The area is known for its cultural uniqueness: it is the land of cultura arraiana, or border culture, which is rich in folklore, gastronomy, seasons rituals like the Madeiro (winter bonfire) and romerias.

The area is rich in wildlife and biodiversity. The area is known as Portugal’s biodiversity and rewilding hotspot, with lynxes, wolves and bison reintroduced in neighbouring lands.

Floresta Portelas

Our Living Lab shows how an off-grid forest site can restore land while keeping human impact minimal. Solar energy, rain-water harvesting, and composting toilets create a closed, low-carbon system with near-zero reliance on external utilities.

This independence protects aquifers, avoids pollution from run-off, and leaves soils and native vegetation undisturbed, allowing pollinators, birds, and small mammals to thrive. Every element—from renewable power to food-forest plantings—serves as a hands-on classroom for visitors and local partners seeking fire-smart, climate-resilient land management.

The Living Lab is both a working forest and a proof of concept: communities can meet their own needs sustainably while regenerating ecosystems and reducing emissions.

Aliança Guardiões de Penamacor

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) consistently ranks Portugal as Europe’s most fire- affected country, with the highest annual area of burned land per square kilometre (see also Ramos 2023). In 2025, wildfires consumed 260,000 ha of Portuguese mainland territory: five times the seasonal average. In 2017— a record-breaking year— roughly 6 percent of the country’s entire surface burned down. Since 1980, repeated fires have affected an area equivalent to 56 percent of the country’s surface area (ICNF, 2023).

In 2025, after wildfires burned 2,904 ha in Penamacor, we helped establish Aliança Guardiões de Penamacor (AGP), a cross-village alliance now stewarding over 450 ha of biodiverse territory in and around Serra da Malcata Reserve. GOP unites landowners, community members, schools, Freguesia members and forest defenders, serving as platform for participatory planning, cultural reconnection and community-based ecological governance.

What are we doing about it?

Participatory mosaic-habitat restoration, agroecology, productive fire-break design, water-retention systems, replanting of fire-resistant species and rewilding are some of the actions we are delivering to engage youth, elders, smallholders and officials in intergenerational collaboration and civic action, showing how collective stewardship can be replicated across neighbouring communities.