The cork trees are what I noticed first: squat, rough-looking trees stripped of their bark 2/3 of the way up the trunk or sometimes even up the larger branches. I loved the way the cork and olive trees looked in the grasslands, with languid cows meandering at their bases. It was clear the grazing in-betweens were filled with lots of other plant species.

What is so cool about these landscapes, besides their savannah-like beauty, is that they are so productive AND support the high levels of plant biodiversity, which means they can also provide homes for many bird species, some endangered (like the Iberian eagle). These are not wilderness lands, but lightly managed compatible-use systems. I just love the concept: productive, beautiful, supportive of wildlife… I want all landscapes I work on to share these qualities.

Montado landscapes are triply-used. These agro-silvo-pastoral systems are made up of open evergreen forest (oaks, chestnuts and olive trees), grazing animals (cows, goats, sheep), and cultivated crops (mostly cork from the Oaks but in addition to rye, oats, and barley, I saw lavender and grapes on edges). Montado is threatened in Portugal (and Spain, where it is called “dehesas”). This seems crazy as they cover over 6 million hectares. The cork that used to be such a major economic force in keeping Montado solvable is now being supplanted with plastic corks and screw-tops.

Apparently, the cork oak (Quercus suber) sequesters 3-5 times the amount of CO2 while the bark is regenerating – it can be harvested of its cork every 10-15 years. Species growing in the Montado are adapted to the thin soil and Mediterranean climate.