Understanding the living
Observing nature, and trying to identify and see the species that animate it, does not always go without prior knowledge. In Alentejo, you will find several interpretation centers that will allow you, before or after the walk, to understand what you see.
Near Montemor-o-Novo, in the old elementary school of Baldios, an Environmental Interpretation Center has been opened that highlights the surrounding sites (habitats, species...) and will allow you to prepare your walks (on foot or by bike), on the sites of Cabrela and Monfurado and their four marked trails. Don't forget your binoculars!
On the steppe of Castro Verde, the Environmental Education Center of Vale Gonçalinho is an interactive complex that gathers the environmental resources of the natural heritage of the region. It is possible to join didactic projects around water, renewable energies and the fight against desertification. And of course you can try to see the starlets of this plain, the great bustards, called bearded bustards, superb waders whose males, at the time of the nuptial parade, have the spectacular habit of trampling and jumping on the spot while barking! You will also see kestrels and rollers, superb blue birds.
The Monte da Coitadinha Interpretation Center is a good introduction to visiting the Nouda Nature Park. It provides information about the proposed routes that can be followed with geo-referenced smartphone applications. It is also possible to use bicycles and even solar vehicles called Noucars! Visits can also be made with local guides and (by appointment) guides specialized in ornithology, geology, botany, history or ethnography...
In Vila Ruiva, in the municipality of Cuba, it is a zoo... of insects that invites you to discover the world of ants, termites, bees and wasps. The Insectozoo, a living museum of social insects, has bet on ecological education with guided tours that explain the role of each insect in the regulation of ecosystems.
In Mora is the first large freshwater aquarium in Europe! The opportunity to observe animals that live or have lived in the rivers of Portugal, such as the eel, sturgeon or otter, but also more exotic species, such as the red piranha and other hosts of the Amazon and the Great African lakes.
Castro Verde, Biosphere Reserve
In Portugal, twelve areas are recognized by UNESCO as biosphere reserves, six on the mainland, four in the Azores and two in Madeira. These twelve natural sites are part of the world network of Biosphere Reserves, living laboratories whose objective is to manage biodiversity and to learn about sustainable development, by understanding the interaction between humans and nature.
In the Alentejo region, the vast plains of the Beja district, in the heart of what is known as the Campo Branco (the "white field"), have been selected as a biosphere reserve. This 6,000 hectare area is home to the most important cereal steppe in Portugal, one of the most representative of the Iberian Peninsula and of all of Europe. Between fields of legumes or cereals, fallow land and meadows, vineyards and olive groves, nearly 200 species of birds have been spotted! In addition to the bearded bustard(Otis tarda), the black-bellied ganga(Pterocles orientalis), the grey crane(Grus grus) and the grey harrier(Circus pygargus), the stone curlew (known as the "thick-kneed") and the calandra lark are also present. But also the Iberian imperial eagle(Aquila adalberti), a species found only in the Iberian Peninsula, one of the most endangered birds of prey in Europe and one of the rarest in the world.
In addition to the holm oak and cork oak, thyme, lavender and rosemary, the plants have their own endemic species, eleven in all, very strong personality traits for this immense area where it is recommended to go to lose oneself, accompanied by specialists or not.
Explore parks and reserves
The Alentejo is a land of nature and landscapes above all, the most beautiful of which have been classified as parks and reserves:
Parque Natural da serra de São Mamede:
hiking or simply walking in this park is an amazing experience! You can wander between menhirs and Roman bridges, vineyards, olive groves and impregnable fortresses... The hiking trails cover 515 km of marked paths that crisscross the 320 km2 of the park, of great geological wealth. The reserve is known to have one of the largest colonies of bats in Europe and is home to foxes, wild boars, roe deer, badgers, wild cats and weasels...Parque Natural do Vale do Guadiana:
more than 70,000 ha of nature between the Pulo do Lobo and the Vascão, to the south, the river that forms the border with the Algarve! The Guadiana Valley Natural Park looks like this: below, the deep valleys of the river and its tributaries, a dry plain where a few thin holm oaks and rockrose bushes grow; on the slopes and banks of the rivers, the original Mediterranean scrubland and, dominating the whole, the quartz ridges of Alcaria and São Barão. The Pulo do Lobo (Wolf's Leap) is a 14-meter high waterfall that has cut a path through the hard rock. The park is frequented by otters, wild cats and many species of bats.Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina:
small beaches set in shale cliffs, temporary lagoons, scrubland... On 100 km of coastline, from Porto Covo (Alentejo) to Burgau (Algarve), the natural park of the southwestern Alentejano and the Vicentine Coast is undoubtedly one of the best preserved stretches of European coastline, so much so that scientists from all over the world come here to study its endemic flora and fauna Other very common species here: surfers, as well as hikers, who take several remarkable walking routes, along the cliffs, between sea and sky ...Reserva Natural do Estuario do Sado:
near Setúbal, this reserve is located on the banks of the estuary of the river Sado. In addition to birds, you can see otters, other bats and the kings of the waves: a community of bottlenose dolphins (tursiops) that are at home here and that you can try to approach by boarding the boats provided for this purpose.Reserva Natural das lagoas de Santo André e da Sancha:
it occupies part of the coastline of the municipalities of Sines and Santiago do Cacém and a 15 km strip along the coast. In the Santo André and Sancha lagoons, the love affair between fresh and brackish water has given rise to particularly rich aquatic ecosystems: dunes, wet meadows and marshes with willows and reeds, rushes, heather... A real Eden, for birds as well as for visitors who cross it on foot, by canoe or windsurf.Parque de Natureza de Noudar: near Barrancos, close to the Spanish border, the Nature Park of Noudar has preserved the environment and the agricultural and forestry activities at the same time. In this landscape of cork oaks dominated by the silhouette of the castle of Noudar, the masters of the place are the deer and the wild boars, which you may come across, at dawn or dusk, on your way back from a walk or a bike ride on the bicycle paths.
Admire the birds..
Cranes travel many kilometers to spend the winter in the Alentejo, white storks have chosen the cliffs of Cape Sardão as their nesting place and the kestrel, which arrived in February, stays until early summer after breeding. Even though the Algarve is more famous than the Alentejo for birdwatching, the region has many excellent sites for birdwatchers:
The town of Mértola is home to a colony of kestrels
.The surroundings of Mourão are the refuge of golden plovers and southern shrikes.
In Campo Branco, in Castro Verde, one can observe the hunter kite and the grey francolin, the black-collared partridge and various species of bustards. Many of these birds have an unfavorable conservation status
...The Serra de São Mamede is home to many falcons, griffons, owls, golden eagles and even Bonelli's eagles...
The Sado estuary is a dream resort for many passerines and waders: flamingos (pink) and ibises (white), ducks and cormorants, herons, spoonbills, white storks...
At the Santo André lagoon, you can meet the coot, the red-billed duck and the scarlet warbler, which is the symbol of the reserve
.The lagoon of Sancha is distinguished by the presence of a breeding colony of purple herons, and the presence, again, of the red-billed duck.
The Natural Park of the Southwest Alentejano and its steep cliffs are the refuge of rare fish eagles, but it is also the only place in the world where storks nest in the rocks above the shore!
The Noudar Nature Park is home to the black vulture and the black stork, the crane, the red agrobat, the eared traquet and the garden warbler..
The eye of the lynx
Lynx pardinus is the name of the Iberian lynx, one of the most endangered felines in the world. With the reduction of its habitat and the sharp decline in the rabbit population, the magnificent animal, once common in the Alentejo and the Algarve, is now "endangered" in Portugal. So much for the bad news. The good news is that its reintroduction in 2014 in the Guadiana Valley Natural Park was successful. There are now nearly 140 lynxes living in a 500 km2 area between the municipalities of Serpa, Mértola, Castro Verde (Alentejo) and that of Alcoutim, in the Algarve.The smile of the dolphin
No need to go to the Pacific to admire dolphins! About 40 of them have taken up residence in the bay of Setúbal, in the waters of the Sado estuary. A community of resident dolphins, so to speak, which are studied and monitored. They are bottlenose dolphins, also called blowing dolphins or bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus), a species of great size, therefore. Jumping, playing, running: they are used to seeing visitors and do not stop their activities in your presence. They will be the object of a very nice outing, by motorboat or catamaran, near the magnificent reliefs of the Arrábida mountain range that are reflected under the hull of your boat. The visit takes place all year round and lasts from 2 to 3 hours. Departures are from Setúbal or the marina of Troia. This group of dolphins has unusual characteristics: it is the only population living in an estuary in Portugal, and one of the three known in Europe.
A contrasting flora
Portugal is said to be home to 2,700 plant species, and the Alentejo is home to many of them, including numerous varieties of trees and aromatic plants.
The cork oak, one of those species that man has "tamed" in order to exploit its resources, is obviously the star of the region, since, although Portugal produces almost half of the world's production, it is in the Alentejo that 72% of the Portuguese cork oak crops are found
.The eucalyptus has another history, the tree was introduced in the country because of its rapid growth and its ability to withstand heat. Widely exploited by the paper industry, it has made Portugal the3rd
largest European producer. But Portugal's "green gold" (a quarter of the country's forests) is now accused of encouraging fires, as its species activate combustion! In addition, by acidifying the soil, eucalyptus would be the cause of the disappearance of certain plant and animal species, and thus a real loss of biodiversity.The cistus is a discreet host, but very present in Alentejo. When night falls, on summer evenings, its fresh and spicy scent is carried by the breeze: it is one of the most characteristic smells of the Mediterranean, even if it is far from it here. Cistusladaniferus, the most common, produces superb white flowers, like crumpled roses, with a golden yellow heart and - at the base of each petal - a purple lunula. Sometimes called the white rose or the five-leafed rose, it is a surprisingly resilient plant because it is not afraid of drought or even environmental disturbances (pollution, fires), thanks to its aromatic and sticky resin, labdanum, which allows it to protect its water reserves!
