Adapting SERRAS DO PORTO to Climate Change

Introduction

Serras do Porto Park is since 2017 a Regional Protected Landscape. With about 6,000 ha on the municipalities of Gondomar, Paredes, and Valongo, it is the closest natural area to Oporto, also embracing a Natura 2000 site. With unique natural and geological heritage elements, the Park is since 2016 managed by AMPSP, which gathers the 3 municipalities on the common aim of ensuring its conservation, improved provisioning of ecosystem services, and increased sustainable use/management.

Climate Adaptation and Ecosystem Restoration

To ensure its aims, a wide range of climate adaptation and ecosystem restoration needs have been identified by the Local Strategies for Climate Adaptation of each municipality and, more recently, by the Park Management Plan.

Project Overview

The proposed project builds on pilot efforts already undertaken by AMPSP on:

1. Diversification of forestry
2. (Re)naturalization of riparian areas
3. Control of Invasive Alien Species
4. Other adaptation works needed to counteract projected risks and impacts of climate change (including those of droughts, storms, extreme wildfires, and other foreseeable extreme weather events).

Collaborative Framework

Following a participated framework for action that accounts for improving local/regional climatic governance, the project proposes, for the first time, a concerted work among key public and private stakeholders who own/manage parcels of the Park's land towards increasing resilience of forest and agricultural areas to impacts foreseen with climate change.

Operational Objectives

To ensure such aim, and having for basis the referred vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies, the project embraces, as main operational objectives:

• Adaptation of forest land in about 423 ha, through various management and silvicultural practices accounting for climate shifts and increased provisioning of services (e.g., by acting on forest composition diversity and structure, while also controlling invasive alien species and using nature-based solutions to retain water and improve soil moisture).