That's excactly a place like yours we are looking for, please let us know if there is anything in the mountain area similar for sale. We are a danish couple that would love to move to Portugal.

To my understanding rewilding means the development of nature without intervention from humans. But since you live there no intervention is not an option because of the wildfires. So I would rather call it, adding bio diversity, and in such way that it is manageable and with the least chance that wildfires can do a lot of damage. Ponds are important to collect water, and combined with a pasture or field sprinkler system it can suppress the risk of substantial damage caused by widespread fires. And ponds can also be used for irrigation, but the main purpose is to use it when a fire occurs. Trees need to be planted with protection against grazing animals and weeds. And Grazing animals need to reduce the undesired undergrowth and the weeds. Grazing animals are also a source of income. Strimming the land with a machine is a complete loss of time and money. That time and money should be invested in the water harvesting structures and the planting and protection of the trees and the proper fencing. So my idea is to try to break that time and money devouring spiral in which you are trapped right now by making the land suitable for grazing animals. And then use the time and money that you do no longer have to spend on removing weeds and invasive species with a strimmer, on water harvesting structures, installing fences and gates in order to create patches of land that are suitable for rotational grazing, sprinkler systems, planting trees, and the protection for those trees. But introducing grazing animals can be done the wrong or the right way. When the grazing animals have unlimited freedom you still won't get the biodiversity that you want. Rotational grazing, which can only be done with the proper fencing, is a solution to that. And for additional weed control mulch and woodchips and even rocks can help young trees to grow given the fact that young trees are also protected from the grazing animals with some fencing until the trees are big enough. So I would recommend you to start creating fenced and gated patches of land so that it is easy to apply rotational grazing. And to create ponds for fire control and irrigation, preferable starting as high in the landscape as possible. And when you have managed to do that then you can start thinking about planting trees which need to be protected from the grazing animals and weeds. For the first year you can use goats, they make quick work of removing the worst undergrowth, but after that I would recommend sheep. Sheep are much less destructive. It makes no sense to start with planting trees instead of anything else. Because you do not have the time and manpower in order to do all the weed and fire control by yourself. First you need a blanc canvas that you can protect and irrigate with water, and then go from there with adding biodiversity. And it will always look ugly before it starts to look nice again. That would be my plan if I had to do it. 👍

Hi Steve, what a very interesting video, we too keep our land clean, like yourself because of the fires, but are surrounded by unkept land, especially highly inflammable broom. It's a very interesting subject indeed. 🙂❤️ X

well if I ever get a large plot of land in Portugal, then the plan is to graze it with goats/sheep and of course my ponies... plant native tree and bush speecies and harvest and absorb the water into the land instead of rushing it away leaving a dry and barren landscape

Hi Howard, We’re living near Paúl to the south of Serra da Estrela…are you south of Guarda to the east? I’ve been trying to work it out 😅 In 2023 we helped a scout group who were planting holm oaks up above Teixoso after the fires. If you wanted to plant trees next autumn there will probably be trees available if you ask around. We’re happy to help too…like to plant some each year. I’ll share what I’ve gleaned from videos! As far as reducing fire risk I think water management is the way to go. I believe swales must be very accurate following the contours and are quite hard to get right. However drainage ditches beside the wall to the back of each terrace would help slow down water coming down the hill. I’d advise watching the water flow on your land when it rains heavily and digging some hollows/ ponds to try and slow it down. Small dams with some stones and branches can help by just slowing the flow a little…they are not meant to be water-tight. I’ve seen farmers in Umhais da Serra pump water from their wells all over their terraces to allow it to soak in last autumn after heavy rain, and they will probably repeat it this week. They dig small channels to carry water around all their fields. You need to stop this before the rains stop though! Water soaked soil will impart more water to the vegetation making it less likely to burn, and to burn so easily. Regarding rewilding, I think you need to decide how much land you want to tame and have as a farm, and how much to ‘rewild’. Personally I think regenerative agriculture is the way to go as once the soil is improved, biodiversity can flourish. Obviously you want minimal fire risk close to your house with possibly an emergency water system to soak the roof and ground close to it in case of a fire. As far as I can see some grazing animals will be essential. Goats eat more variety eg brambles but are harder to control. Donkeys shouldn’t be overlooked either though they don’t provide any food. If you learn about regenerative agriculture you will see that ‘mob grazing’ is key…moving a group of grazers (or even chickens) to a very small area for a very short time eg a few days then allowing the land to recover for a few weeks to 2 months. Obviously this relies on fencing and is labour intensive but it really helps with biodiversity. Basically, you need to work out how much you can do and want to do in terms of time and money.

I believe rewilding should be the aim for parts of Portugal. This corridor between Foz Côa and the Serra da Malcata can be an important focus for providing and improving on ecosystems for species like the Iberian lynx and wolf (doubt the brown bear will wander further south) but only with support from the communities in the serras. Should note that feral/stray dog packs cause far more damage to farmers than wolves. Wildfires aren’t going away, but there are still measures people can take to reduce their impact as you are doing. Not like introducing blue gums as in LA😢.

Rewilding is a relatively new term and, like veganism, it is a bit 'trendy'. But that doesn't detract from the basis of love and respect we humans could and should have for the world we share. All rewilding is about is speeding up the natural process of regeneration. My advice, for what it's worth; plant indigenous trees but also fast growing nursery trees to start the shading out process. Research which trees are the least hazardous regarding fire. Remove invasive plants completely (although, to fair, they are just filling a vacuum). Get the local shepherds involved by making your land available for their sheep and goats to graze the undergrowth (although you'll need to protect the young trees). Firebreaks - especially if your land has abandoned or eucalyptus monocultures bordering it. As for wolves and bears, check out the benefits versus the negative impacts of reintroduction. One argument could be keeping the boar population naturally controlled (also check out the yellowstone national park discoveries since the re-introduction of wolves there, very powerful evidence of the benefits). You will get a lot of naysayers who only view things from a purely human, separate from nature perspective, stand strong in your beliefs and dont let anyone tell you its absurd or dangerous to re-introduce species that were here long before we were! 😊

g

Mimosa is endemic flora in serra da estrela.

Personally I think rewilding is insanity. It becomes a huge fire risk as has been shown in California. Reintroducing wolves etc comes with even more problems and they end up being culled. There are many people who would love to create off grid lives but can’t afford to do it, so possibly releasing some land to specially vetted people to be allowed a certain amount of land and to work together much like the old hippy communes.

What an amazing video Steve! So nice to see how it's started and how much you guys achieved working on your farm 💪🏼

Great reminders of us settling into the Quinta life! Now we must finish what we started 😂

Hi both, maybe reposition the polytunnel so it is end on, so not so much takes the brunt of the wind. Ours faces the incoming wind and hasn't moved since we buried it in, maybe worth looking at :) x

How about goats? I’m no expert, but possibly require less looking after than sheep. Are fire breaks a thing out there? I know you’re keeping things cut back in different areas, but I’m talking in a bigger scale. I remember in SA seeing huge fire breaks being cut down/burnt, for when bush fires inevitably happened. Kev says brilliant, you’ve got your 4x4 going again! How long have you had that for?

Portugal is a country in need of radical civilisational hygiene, but the Portuguese are bereft of the requisite testicular fortitude. Portugal is terminally decadent. It's moribund. The Portuguese are vanishing. They have negative natality. Their country is being colonised and they are emigrating to escape the wokeness. In Czechia, we enforce our civilisational order. We civilians have the requisite weapons. We have a civilian militia. Portugal is statist. Its civilians are unarmed. Its men cannot defend their women. They are emasculated, testosterone deficient.

Had to laugh when you were splitting wood. I just use the axe and if too big I have a heavy splitting axe, but you should mark the wood where you want too split with the axe first then use your wedge as if one bounce out like it did and hits you in the face can make a mess of you.

O just remembered. Use 6 mm polycarbonate sheeting for the greenhouse. it stands the weather well and is good for 10 years but no worry in the wind and gives you an extra 3 c at night without heating so about 2 weeks earlier, yes, not cheap but over 10 years is much cheaper than plastic and you ll need a wooden frame. I used it in Scotland and not a bad word to say about it.

Hope you have some seeds in by now, Snow on the way next week they say.If it snows don't knock the snow of the fruit trees as will protect the buds from the frost that is coming with it. Very cold wind of late, good for killing bad bugs off.

Gostei do seu canal. Que lugar lindo que você vive.💚

Beautiful place you live! Lindo local onde vivem! Os cachôrros são Serras-da-Estrêla, parece-me. São lindos! Parabéns, vocês devem sêr muito felizes aí. Tudo de Bom para vós.

What's with all the Brits moving to Portugal and living on/off grid and making videos? What am I missing? Thanks for the videos, thoroughly enjoy them. Stay safe.

2024 was an incredible year for us! Here's how we embraced rural Portugal-what did your 2024 look like?

Happy New Year to you all, hope you had a lovely festive time! Your comment about burning firewood and carbon balance got me thinking about where the carbon goes; leaving a tree to rot will mean that some of the carbon gets bound into the soil and locked up for longer = positive climate impact, whereas burning releases more atmospheric carbon = negative climate impact. However, you are mitigating your carbon impact by growing trees, I’m sure that overall you are planting far more trees than you are burning and therefore your net carbon impact is positive. You have so much land that is potentially available for trees that you could take this further. Do you have plans to plant more? Obviously leaving suitable fire breaks around your critical infrastructure!

Bet leaving Wales was a wrench,all the best from Al Andalus

wales...looks a bit like barmouth ?!

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Thanks Howard for your vid 😇💟💟💟 Love and bless us all in divine light 🚨😉 nice to see you again 😁👍 good work. I thought you are going to bind a rope on that trunk.

the mountain is ideal to grow everything you need, with surplus. pups are doin' great! bad weather is coming, with thunder, lightning and savage gusts of wind. buckle up! after that the sun will be back to roast us all! oh, I love good old portugal... 😜😂 stay optimistic, stay strong. 🤠😎

Hello NEW SUBSCRIBER central Portugal 🇵🇹 love to have you join us as well 😀

Lovely place. We can occasionally see the estrela mountains from our balcony in Vila nova de poiares and want to visit one day. We practise permaculture and have transformed rubbish eucalyptus land to what looks like a nature reserve in may !taken 8 years part time as we live both in poiares and uk

When im back from the UK Barb and I will pop over and bring our seed collection to rummage through. Justin

I Love your land, from every angle there is a different stunning view! I wish you a Year full of viewers 😎 And the little horses are amazing..(pups) See you soon Osher

finally mother nature gave us a glimpse of those ditches working! blessings for the quinta, all family and the turnips! hope to try them! 😀💫

I know winter is harsh in the Serra but on a sunny day you feel especially blessed. The animals love their home with you too❤. My plan is to grow turnips as well principally for the grelos.

👍❤️ ❤️

Those gorgeous pups are growing so quickly!

Good luck with the bees and what a great idea to use the chickens! Happy New Year! 🎉

Happy new year to you both, are you keeping warm up there as is cold enough here and that east wind doesn't help. Is ok for you Howard you've got your movable hot water bottle at night, Eve, I have nothing so makes it harder to keep warm and still trying to find one but not easy.

My 99 hilux bought in France is the love of my life - I'm certain that you'll feel the same, a wonderful choice 😊

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Stephen. Scorched earth tactics for the wax moths!

Hope everyone had a good Christmas! I cleaned the beehives with homemade bleach, then torched every bits. It's now ready to use for the spring.

Merry Christmas you, glad your settled. Seems ages since up nately… happy new year to you and your family…x

buy it and fix it up and sell it

🎄 fijne kerst en een gelukkig nieuwjaar 🥂 até ao proximo ano 🤓

feliz natal

Merry merry Crisna at the quinta!!!! 🎉😊

não há nada como a vida do campo... stay strong 🤠😎

You can sterilise your hives by just giving the inside a scorching with a blowtorch (your version very very extreme haha) or even just scrubbing them with a bleach solution. Also you can save your wax by boiling up some water and just melting the wax from the frames in a big container, the gunk will sink into the water and the wax will float and harden as the water cools. Save your wax in a large ziplock bag to stop the moths from getting to it. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas :)