Marta Pinto, the first winner of the Terre de Femmes Portugal Award, is utterly devoted to the natural world and is working to counteract the ravages triggered by intensive monoculture of maritime pine and eucalyptus trees in Portugal’s Porto region.
In the metropolitan area of Porto, the forest surfaces are dominated by the intensive cultivation of maritime pines and eucalyptus. This increases the risk of fires and the loss of biodiversity. In addition, exponential urbanization is causing forests to disappear.
In Portugal, it is therefore necessary to develop native species and bring back tree in the city. This is the mission of Marta Pinto and her association, Futuro.
The project
To denounce this ecological carnage, Marta decided to plant native trees, giving back all its place to native species, which are more resistant to fires and beneficial to the development of local fauna and flora.
Aware that together, we go further, she manages to mobilize many volunteers and local political and social actors in the preservation of indigenous forests, real ramparts for the surrounding villages against the scourge of fire.
Within the various planting and maintenance activities, the volunteers are sensitized and prepared. Schools, local partners, citizens, all were mobilized and trained in tree planting techniques, species recognition and plantation maintenance.
Thus, from November 2015 to January 2017, the Fondation Yves Rocher supported Marta. Together we have planted over 30,000 trees with the help of over 5,000 volunteers. This could contribute to capture of nearly 162 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Find more out the Portugal project : https://www.100milarvores.pt/author/marta-pinto
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