Forest

The montado is part of one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots and serves as a habitat for some of the planet's most endangered species. It is an intensively cultivated landscape, representing around 22% of the country's national forest area. Work has been conducted in Portugal (particularly a study published by the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA) in Lisbon), has quantified the annual carbon retention capacity of the montado. For example, in central Portugal (Évora), a low density montado (about 30% tree coverage) retained on average 88g of carbon per m2 per year (i.e. 3.2 tons of CO2 per hectare per year). But the annual carbon sequestration in a montado in best soil and climate conditions, with certified forest management and with more plants (50% tree cover), quadrupled that figure to 400g of carbon per m2 per year (i.e. 14.7 tons of CO2 per hectare per year). However, the occurrence of adverse conditions such as a dry year can lead to significant decreases (about 40%) in carbon sequestration.

The Montado retains
+ than 14,7 tons of CO2 per hectare per year

The Montado is one of the
world's biodiversity hotspots

The Montado represents
22 % of the country's forest area

Environmental potential

Despite the high biodiversity, cork oak forests play a fundamental role in hydrological regulation and soil conservation, by providing protection against wind erosion and increasing the rate at which rainwater infiltrates and replenishes the water table. Since cork oaks intercept an average of 26.7% of total rainfall, they also reduce water run-off, thus preventing soil erosion.

In addition to the excellent environmental services it provides (including soil conservation, regulating the water cycle, reducing carbon emissions and conserving biodiversity), the cork oak forest is an environmentally sustainable process, since no trees are cut down.

Cork oaks provide large quantities of material that decomposes into humus in the topsoil. They manage to bring a large amount of nutrients from the lower levels of the soil to the upper levels that would otherwise remain inaccessible to herbaceous vegetation. They have a high water retention capacity due to their porosity, as well as a high organic content.

The canopy of the cork oak forest also creates a microclimate that is less excessive in winter and summer, which allows the vegetation to grow longer. Cork oaks also reduce wind speed, which helps to protect crops.

In addition, due to their potential economic value, cork oak forests can be crucial in the constitution of forest areas that are a barrier against desertification. On the other hand, they act as carbon sinks and can help mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the last 20 years, there have been 11 of the hottest years in the last 125 years and researchers in the field recognize that these changes are due to emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). It is predicted that warming in this century will be between 1.4ºC and 5.8ºC. The cork oak plays a fundamental role in this area. As well as producing oxygen through photosynthesis, the cork oak's unique cellular structure fixes carbon.

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