Rooted in regenerative practices of Syntropic Agriculture, Permaculture and holistic forest restoration, we regenerate ecosystems and empower people to tune in with nature. We develop a local regenerative movement in the Algarve, Portugal, supporting local regenerators through educational workshops, courses, tours and through regenerative landscape consultancy. Contact us for more information or visit https://restorenaturefoundation.org/.

1: Background
Restore Nature Foundation was founded in 2019 when founder Matthijs (Mattie) arrived at Vinha Velha in Southern Portugal. Leaving Holland behind where he was raised in a biodynamic farm with parents with a vision to collaborate with nature. Arriving in Vinha Velha, he recognized a similar pioneering spirit as was present . This farm and the Algarvian landscape were calling him to serve his life mission of regenerating ecosystems and empowering people to reconnect with holistic regenerative practices. Together with a team of likeminded people they started making their ideals more concrete in the form of the Restore Nature Foundation.

2: Vinha Velha
Huber, founder of Vinha Velha bought this 140hectare piece of land 40 years ago together with his brother Michael. He had a big vision to run a self sufficient and organic farm with a lot of tree, plant and animals diversity. Back then, the 140 acres of land were infertile and there was no electricity or running water; everything had to be built up from scratch. First, the land was systematically reforested in order to stop erosion, while creating lakes to save the winter’s rainfall for the dry summer months. The water supply provided the farm with a source of life: vegetable gardens and animals were introduced to lay down the basic fundamentals of the farm.
Years of hard work and cooperation resulted in built up organic agriculture with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, cows, chickens, sheep, donkeys and bees. Products are sold in the little shop on the farm and in local organic markets and shops. Thousands of trees have been planted over the years to stop erosion and to rebuild ecosystems. 5 lakes provide a sustainable source of water for the farm. A nearby wind park supplies the community that lives on the farm with green energy. Small-scale eco-tourism has been introduced to offer people an opportunity to experience farm life in the Algarve and learn more about nature and how to cooperate with her.

Challenges: on going drought in the Algarve- water scarcity and risk of bushfires
The threat of bushfires is a serious danger to the forests and nature in general in the area. The recent bushfire that started on June 20th 2020 kept the area in its grip for several days and made quite an impact in the landscape. Many areas were burned; many people lost their houses and the landscape was left severely damaged. The fire reached the neighbouring land of Vinha Velha but because of the enormous efforts of firemen from the air and on the ground, the fire did not harm Vinha Velha.
These raging fires are an alarming signal that nature is out of balance. Now more then ever we have to think of ways how to restore natural balance and think of long-term solutions. Water scarcity makes it difficult for nature to thrive and this has affected a lot of trees. Mainly the higher areas, which are more exposed to the sun and wind and further away from natural water lines, have been affected. In these areas, the level of erosion was also the most extreme. As a result some trees have been stagnated in their growth or even died.

Help us helping nature!

We are currently setting up a crowd funding campaign where you can adopt squared meters for €10 per m2 that we will restore in your name. In the area you adopt we take action on our 3 core pillars of planting biodiversity, water management and soil improvement. We do this in the form of a 'nest' of biodiversity. We plant various tree, shrub and plant species by sapling, cuttings and seeds on your squared meter. These will collaborate to create the optimal conditions for each other and to take turns to boost this micro ecosystem. We cover the area with biomass to protect and feed the soil and water it in the dry summer period.

Many companies want to start a transformation of their business to act more responsibly and supporting projects like this could be a major step towards positive system change.

Please contact us for more information of if you want to support us in our mission.