Biodiversity

The montado habitat, where the cork oak grows, is home to a wealth of natural biodiversity, including wildlife, grasslands and diverse flora. It has wide variety of species of animals and plants that form part of the food chain centred around the cork oak. The Natura 2000 Network considers the cork oak montados and woods to be important for the preservation of the biodiversity. The montado is still one of the 36 hotspots of the biodiversity, on a par with Amazon, or Borneo.

The cork oak landscapes are among the best examples in the Mediterranean of the balance between conservation and development for the benefit of people and nature. They support a rich biodiversity and traditional means of livelihood, provide opportunities for development in socially and economically disadvantaged areas, and play a fundamental role in ecological processes such as water retention, soil conservation and carbon sequestration.