Square Meter Program

In 2015, as part of LIPOR's Biodiversity Strategy, we created the Square Meter Program - A Maintenance Program for Trees and Native Forest. This program for adopting native forest areas undergoing ecological rehabilitation guarantees a set of operations that ensure the maintenance of these areas during the first 4 years after the first intervention. We know that these first years are particularly critical, and this is how we promote the survival rate of the trees planted in the areas.

The Square Meter Program obtained an approved application under the terms of the Notice no. 9451/2019: Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Program - Improving knowledge and the conservation status of the country's natural heritage and biodiversity (Environmental Fund for short) which allowed another 10ha to be added onto the initial 12ha in the Nature 2000 network in the Parque das Serras in Porto.

In addition to promoting biodiversity, this management and rehabilitation of forest areas increases the ecosystem services and improves the adaptation to climate changes and to landscape planning, fostering citizen well-being and fire risk reduction. The Square Meter Program integrates a set of operations that ensure maintenance, whose activities include marking and protecting spaces, cleaning bushes, fixing boilers, controlling invasive plants, replacing faults, pruning training and monitoring.