Universidade Católica Portuguesa – The 100.000 trees project
Development Area: Reforestation for biodiversity, landscape and carbon storage
The FUTURE – the 100,000 trees project in the Porto Metropolitan Area – is a partnership project between Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Porto) and Área Metropolitana do Porto that joins 17 municipalities of the region, other organizations and citizens in a common goal: create and care for native urban forests.
The FUTURE was set in motion in 2010, through the planned and coordinated effort of various organizations and citizens, with the aim of creating and maintaining native urban forests in a region which needs to improve the landscape, enrich biodiversity, sequester carbon, improve air quality, protect soil, increase the resilience of the territory and contribute to a better quality of life for its citizens, thus increasing the attractiveness of the region. All this can be summed up in one word – FUTURE. Because there is no future without trees.
The project’s activities – always working closely with its partners – consist of the identification of areas, land preparation, organization of planting and maintenance activities open to citizens, regular monitoring of results, networking, training and awareness raising, native plant production, and educational activities.
The project was set in motion in 2011 and is implemented in the territory of the municipalities of the Porto Metropolitan Area: Arouca, Espinho, Gondomar, Maia, Matosinhos, Oliveira de Azeméis, Paredes, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, S. João da Madeira, Santa Maria da Feira, Santo Tirso, Trofa, Vale de Cambra, Valongo, Vila do Conde, Vila Nova de Gaia.
To date, 174 hectares have been planted with 106,019 native trees. 49 areas in the Porto Metropolitan Area, intended for tourism and leisure, were valorised. Thousands of citizens participate (16,776 volunteer participations with 54,340 volunteer hours). The planted trees (when mature) will remove 9,877 tons of Carbon per year, as well as 55 tons of air pollutants (CO, O3, NO2, SO2, PM2.5), while helping to prevent rainwater drainage, optimizing rainwater management in urban areas and soil water in rural contexts
