Montesinho · Trás-os-Montes
Territory
A protected mountain area in northeastern Portugal, where herding still shapes the landscape.
Montesinho Natural Park
The study site is a protected area of just over 74,000 hectares, located in northeastern Portugal, designated as a Natural Park since 1979. It is a high-altitude region with significant climatic and geological variability, fostering extensive biodiversity in both flora and fauna.
- hectares of protected area
- 74,000
- villages
- 92
- inhabitants
- 9,000
Pastoralism and settlement
In the Montesinho Natural Park, which covers parts of the municipalities of Bragança and Vinhais, about 9,000 inhabitants live across 92 villages. The region has a rich socio-cultural heritage, with ancient customs increasingly influenced by technological innovations. One of the traditional daily practices is the extensive grazing of small ruminants.
Activities and management
Other activities influenced by economic and social dynamics include agriculture (e.g., chestnut and olive plantations), forestry (e.g., management of communal lands), and tourism. The management of the Natural Park of Montesinho falls under the jurisdiction of the ICNF, with activities within the protected area additionally regulated by other entities such as livestock associations, communal land associations, and the Ministry of Agriculture.
