The Wild Côa Network was established by the Rewilding Portugal team in 2021 to drive the development of nature-based enterprise in and around the Greater Côa Valley. A recent survey demonstrated the network’s beneficial impact to date, and offered insights into how this impact could be scaled up going forwards.

A livestock guard dog programme overseen by Rewilding Portugal has just reached its impressive target, with the 101st dog handed over to a local farmer. By reducing livestock predation, the programme will support the recovery of the endangered and ecologically important Iberian wolf.

Starting this month, the Rewilding Portugal team are coordinating cross-border, multi-partner efforts to enhance the recovery of Iberian lynx and Iberian wolf populations south of the Douro River.

Organised and managed by the Rewilding Portugal team, the “CÔA – Corridor of Arts” Festival united art, nature and culture in the Greater Côa Valley this July. Attracting thousands of visitors, the event helped the team establish and deepen connections with a wide range of stakeholders and promote the benefits of rewilding to a huge audience.

On the banks of Portugal’s Côa River, a thriving connection between people, nature and business offers new hope for the future.

Tauros have been released into the Greater Côa Valley for the first time. The herd will play a vital role in restoring grassland and woodland habitats in this rewilding landscape in Portugal.

In Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley, Paul de Toirões is the fourth rewilding site in an expanding network. With the local rewilding team overseeing key restoration measures, it will become an increasingly important ecological stepping stone.

The symposium, which helped promote rewilding in both a European and Portuguese context, featured a range of presentations from rewilding thought leaders. It has so far attracted over 2000 online views.

The “CÔA – Corridor of Arts” Festival will take place in the summer of 2023. Celebrating the nature and culture of northern Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley, it will build engagement with local communities and help to promote rewilding.

As a keystone species, vultures are an integral part of healthy ecosystems. The discovery last year of a cinereous vulture colony in the Greater Côa Valley is therefore good news for wild nature and local rewilding efforts.