In the municipality of Aljezur, at the foot of the Monchique mountain range, the south slope of the Amoreiras valley, facing north, is covered by an forest of autochthonous oaks and cork oaks covering an area of about 10 ha. Vale das Amoreiras Private Protected Area was created to preserve this forest with large oaks and some rare species in Portugal, such as the Algerian oak (Quercus canariensis), Senecio lopezii and the English holly (Ilex aquifolium), a protected species that, south of the Tagus river, only occurs in this area.
In this forest with several species of oaks and made up of autochthonous plants, the tree stratum is dominated by the cork oak (Quercus suber), but different species of marcescent oaks (with withering and persistence leaves) contribute almost 50% of its composition, especially at the slope base. Young specimens of these oaks and cork oaks, common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), green olive tree (Phillyrea latifolia), strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and other species. Where the light penetrates to the ground and along the edge of the woods on the north side, several herbaceous plants (commonly herbs) grow, among them species rare in southern Portugal and thus remarkable, such as the Lax viper's-bugloss (Echium rosulatum), the churchsteeples (Agrimonia eupatoria), the beautiful flat peavine (Lathyrus sylvestris) and the above mentioned endemic Senecio lopezii. Vines include common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum ssp. hispanica), black bryony (Tamus communis), common smilax (Smilax aspera), Levantine madder (Rubia peregrina), dog rose (Rosa canina) and elmleaf blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius). It is also worth mentioning the existence of the moss Zygodon conoideus, with a restricted distribution in Portugal. Among the fauna, the Schreiber's green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi), the Mediterranian turtle (Mauremys leprosa) and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) stands out.