Why is Europe a green desert?
We went to explore the beautiful Serra da Estrela, the highest point in mainland Portugal, at 1,993 meters. This is one of the largest natural parks in our sister country and forms the westernmost point of the Central System, which stretches from Guadarrama, near Madrid, almost to the Atlantic Ocean.
Aesthetically, the landscape seems primitive and wild, but where was all the biodiversity hiding?
We saw some Iberian frogs, a few elusive birds, and a fox by the roadside.
The vast landscapes were empty. Ah yes... Europe, the great green desert of the planet. Although, increasingly, everyone is starting to resemble it.
The consequences of being a green desert, however, are not aesthetic: they are ecological, and therefore economic.
Ecologists have discovered that species are not passively subjected to climatic conditions. My friends: species create the climate!
There is something we can do, and it's been given the lovely name of REWILDING.
I explain it in this video, which I hope you enjoy!
You can follow @joaoalmeidawild to learn more about rewilding... and get used to speaking Portuguese!
Regards,
Sergio