In its first year, WWF Portugal’s D-Evolução programme has restored around 46 hectares of burnt forest and habitat in Peneda-Gerês National Park, planting more than 1,700 native trees and shrubs and helping the land regrow on its own. The work aims to give roe deer and Iberian wolves back the shelter they lost to fire. It runs until 2030 — and it arrives just as Portugal sends Brussels its first national plan to restore nature.
At a glance
- What: D-Evolução, WWF Portugal’s ecological restoration programme
- Where in the park: about 46 hectares of burnt forest and habitat [CONFIRM exact area and municipality]
- Planted so far: 1,700+ native trees and shrubs — English oak, Iberian birch, holly, Scots pine
- Approach: selective vegetation management plus support for natural regeneration
- Timeline: launched October 2025, runs to 2030
- How to support: donations via d-evolucao.pt
- Last checked: 27 October 2026
Why Peneda-Gerês needs restoring
Peneda-Gerês is Portugal’s only national park and the core of the Gerês-Xurés Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO in 2009. Its granite mountains hold some of the best-preserved oak woodland in the country. They also burn.
In July 2025 a single wildfire burnt 5,786 hectares inside the park, according to ICNF, Portugal’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests. After a fire like that, the danger is not over. Bare slopes lose their soil to the first winter rains, and fast-growing shrubs and invasive species can take over before the native forest has a chance to return.
When WWF Portugal launched D-Evolução in October 2025, it chose sites from a study of nine priority areas on land and at sea. Peneda-Gerês was one of three: the others are the Serra do Caldeirão in the Algarve and the Tagus estuary near Lisbon.
Helping the mountain heal itself
The work in the park is quieter than the word “reforestation” suggests. Much of it is assisted natural regeneration: rather than covering hillsides with saplings, teams manage the vegetation selectively, clearing what smothers young trees and protecting the seedlings that the surviving forest is already producing.
Planting fills the gaps. More than 1,700 native trees and shrubs have gone into the ground so far, chosen for this landscape:
- English oak (Quercus robur), called carvalho-alvarinho in Portuguese — the backbone of the park’s ancient woodlands.
- Iberian birch (Betula celtiberica) — a pioneer that colonises open, damp ground quickly.
- Holly (Ilex aquifolium) — evergreen shelter and winter food for birds.
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) — a mountain pine native to the high north of the Iberian Peninsula.
The result is meant to be a mosaic, not a plantation: patches of different species and ages, broken by clearings. A mosaic is harder for fire to cross and richer for wildlife.
Room for deer, and for wolves
Restoration here is measured in animals as much as in trees. WWF says the new forest mosaic is bringing back cover and food for the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and steadier habitat for the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus).
The two are linked. Wild prey such as roe deer matter to wolves in Peneda-Gerês, where they also take livestock grazing on the open mountain. More wild prey can mean fewer attacks on local herds — and less conflict between wolves and the shepherds who share the mountain with them.
Why every euro counts
Nature restoration is slow and costs money. In its first year, D-Evolução raised close to €482,000 from companies and individuals to start work across its three sites. WWF estimates it needs around €1.25 million more to finish the plan by 2030.
WWF argues the investment pays back. Citing European Commission figures, it says each euro spent on restoring nature returns between €8 and €38, through cleaner water, healthier soils and lower costs from disasters such as fires and floods. Its executive director, Ângela Morgado, puts it simply: restoring nature is “one of the smartest decisions we can make as a society” (translated from Portuguese).
Part of a European effort
This is no longer only a charity’s project. The EU Nature Restoration Regulation, in force since August 2024, requires every member state to restore degraded ecosystems.
Portugal submitted its draft National Nature Restoration Plan to the European Commission on 28 August 2026. The plan names Peneda-Gerês National Park as one of the places for new pilot restoration projects. WWF’s message is that private and civic efforts can show what works, but the state must lead — with the funding to match.
How you can help
- Donate to D-Evolução — individuals and companies can fund the work in Peneda-Gerês and the other sites at d-evolucao.pt.
- Back local community projects — village associations are replanting too. Read how the people of Entre Ambos-os-Rios are bringing the Serra Amarela back.
- Travel in a way that leaves something behind — sleep, eat and buy in the park’s villages. Money that stays local keeps people on the land.
- Follow the national plan — Portugal’s restoration plan will be finalised over the coming years; public consultations are open to everyone, including visitors.
Visit restored areas with respect
- Treat young woodland as a nursery. Stay on marked trails: a seedling trampled today is a tree that will not shade the slope in twenty years.
- Leave fences and tree guards alone. They keep grazing animals off young trees while they establish.
- Watch wildlife from a distance. Roe deer are shy and easily disturbed, especially at dawn and dusk. Never try to approach or feed them, and never try to track wolves.
- No fire, ever. Check the wildfire risk with IPMA, Portugal’s weather institute before you go.
- Report what you see. Signs of fire, dumped rubbish or damage to restored areas can be reported to the authorities. In an emergency, call 112, the European emergency number.
Sources
- WWF Portugal — WWF Portugal accelerates ecological restoration and calls for investment in nature (22 Oct 2026, in Portuguese)
- WWF Portugal — D-Evolução
- Renascença — Gerês, Tagus estuary and Serra do Caldeirão to get WWF conservation work (22 Oct 2025, in Portuguese)
- Government of Portugal — Portugal submits National Nature Restoration Plan to Brussels on time (in Portuguese)
- European Commission — Nature Restoration Regulation
- EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2024/1991
- Gerês-Xurés Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
- ICNF — Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests
A burnt slope in Peneda-Gerês does not need to be rebuilt tree by tree. Given time, protection and a little help, the oak forest knows how to come back. The question for the rest of us is whether we give it that time.
