Amongst others, forests and natural parks guarantee us a great diversity of ecosystem functions, such as the acclimatization, the conservation of natural resources, the control of soil erosion, the water regulation and water filtration, the recycling of nutrients, the formation of soil, the sequestration of carbon, the filtration of air pollutants, climate softening, the production of raw materials and the reducing the risk of fires and floods.

The Forest Conservation program aims to develop and implement projects and initiatives that promote the ecological recovery of degraded areas through the restoration of native forests and native species, involving the community as much as possible. These initiatives seek to enhance the natural heritage, reduce environmental damage, regenerate and recover natural spaces, and therefore promote biodiversity and restore ecological functions, mostly through the restoration of the native forest.
The role of the volunteer, as part of the field team, is to study and learn about each area and forest, and take different actions depending on the time of the year. These fieldwork tasks can include: apply control techniques for invasive alien species, as these were wrongly introduced in the last decades for fast reforestation and are now strongly threatening the natural areas; plant different species with diverse methodologies – these happen mostly in autumn and winter; maintenance of planted areas; protection of biodiversity niches; and management of pedestrian trails.

Most of the activities are based in a natural park that surrounds a part of Lisbon. The travel distance of the house to the volunteering site is about one hour with public transports.
Once a month, with no specific calendar, there is an activity out of the city that might last from 2 to 5 days. These national fieldtrips take place in different parts of the country, so the volunteer might have the chance to explore other villages and areas in Portugal and to play an important role in reforesting on a larger scale some areas that have been degraded due to intensive agriculture, fires or the presence of exotic invaders. The volunteer will be working side by side with local volunteers and coordinators, as well as other community members that join these initiatives, in coordinated actions to create a visible impact but also to raise awareness and promote the importance of networking. Be ready for this adventure!

When joining the program in the Winter, the volunteer should be prepared to have lower temperatures of between 40-60°F (5-15°C), and come equipped with warm clothing. If the volunteer is planning on coming during the summer, when temperatures range between 77-100ºF (25-38ºC), comfortable and light clothes are recommended.