1. CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION.

Forest ecosystems not only consist of physical attributes, they are subjected to and influenced by cultural perceptions and values. They are a natural frame through which our adult eyes survey the landscape and that before landscape can ever be a response for the senses, it is the work of the mind. ( Toledo, 2012; Schama, 2019: Monsalve 2021)

Schama (2019) explains that the landscape’s scenery is built up as much from strata of memory as from layers of rock. Hence, cultural perceptions and shared history of landscapes result in different meanings and perceptions of landscapes, forest ecosystems, groves, tree plantations and isolated trees . (Stewart and Strathern, 2003; Mainteny, 2004).
Cultural and spiritual values are critical driving forces in nature conservation and ecosystem management but are often difficult to represent in decision-making processes, especially in urban areas. The cultural importance of natural ecosystems not only consists of tangible goods and services, but also includes many often intangible, non-material or information services. These non-material and spiritual values are part of local people’s vision and perceptions, play a pivotal role in shaping their respect and conservations actions of nature (Bas Verschuuren, 2012)

Wildfire and human activities induce changes that result in destruction and degradation of forest ecosystems and losses of their biodiversity. That is a consequence of management problems when people’s values are inadequately interpreted or defined.
Large trees (in our case, those with a trunk with a perimeter at breast height (PBH) larger than 150 cm (trees), have an outstanding cultural, social, economic and ecological value. These trees play essential ecological roles in hydrological and micro/mesoclimatic regimes, carbon storage and nutrient cycles, in urban and rural areas and are also used as habitat for a multitude of living organisms. (Verde, 2022)

Large trees have Tree-Related Microhabitats (TreMs) structures like cavities and dead branches that are used for feeding, hiding and nesting for thousands of species. Large TreMs-bearing trees and palms are key elements in the landscape scale, since they can support many endangered species of flora and fauna and have been used as indicators of biodiversity in forest ecosystems.

As large trees, there is often an increase in its capacity to support biodiversity, since abundance (total quantity) and diversity (number of different elements) of TreMs usually increase with PBH.

Over the past few years, efforts for addaptative fire forest management have been increased, which can be seen in the creation of a living lab in Vale de Sousa (Portugal) in FireRes project, however there is still an increase in endemic and native species that disappear in Vale de Sousa specially by wildfires

In the context of Vale de Sousa (Portugal) more and more people have been alerted to importance of participated and integrate concrete actions of nature conservation in rural and urban areas such as forests, groves or isolated trees.

This is where large trees come in.

*Trees, in addition to giving us oxygen and fixing atmospheric carbon, giving us resources such as wood or fruit, usually have associated cultural and historical values, especially those we encounter in our daily lives and which are in our gardens , public parks and private properties.

*In a landscape increasingly transformed by man, it is important to conserve the few places that have the capacity to remain constant for several years and that thus allow the existence of life for decades.

*Trees of high ecological and cultural interest, usually also have unusual dimensions and therefore have a greater capacity to support microhabitats that allow the occurrence of these living beings.

*The trees that surround us are thus fundamental pieces to conserve the nature that surrounds us and that is why it is up to all of us to help in their conservation.

In southwestern Europe, particularly in Portugal, there is a lack of information regarding the importance of large trees and their associated biodiversity, which is linked to a lack of regulations to preserve such trees. Some importants efforts was made in Lousada, Porto and Lisboa.

With this project we can to contribute to growing body of knowledge on the importance of different cultural perceptions of large trees, forests ecosystems and forested landscapes for the development and strengthening of more effective and holistic strategies for forest ecosystem management and coexistence of simultaneous realities.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.
   This project aim to give more information about the role of biocultural and spiritual values of trees and species in emerging approaches in forest conservation and forest ecosystem management. The cultural and spiritual importance of trees, groves or forests is often ignored in western-style landscape and ecosystem management. As such new understandings and approaches are needed for strengthening western-style conservation management in mediterranian forests biodiversity protection (Verschuuren, Bas. (2012)).

Verschuuren, Bas. (2012) identified the potential role of integrating ecological, cultural and spiritual values into conservation management. In doing so it will focus on the potential for setting historic baselines and developing indicators for ecosystem change based on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and cultural perceptions. Taking into account such intangible cultural values and TEK in day-to-day management is furthermore seen as a means for engaging local communities, government and academic institutions in the development of biocultural approaches and finding new ways for the management of forest areas. Specially in those that are exposes do wildfires in Portugal

With the follows objectives

1. Identify larges trees with biocultural and spiritual value in Vale de Sousa

2. Identify larges trees and palms with high ecological values and greater capacity to support microhabitats (TreMs diversity, TreMs compositions in trees host).

3. Develop technical format with the assessment criteria for biocultural and spiritual values of large trees.

4. Accounting for the various trees perceptions and their corresponding cultural and spiritual values in the practice of forest ecosystem management forms in Vale de Sousa (Portugal).

5. Diagnose and define management criteria for a group of trees identified

6. SCIENTIFIC APPROACH.

We will use TreMs diversity and compositions concept, and Biocultural values concept for cultural and spiritual values based on the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas’ task force on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas(CSVPA), to identify microhabitats and cultural and spiritual value of some large trees. Under TreMs methodology and CSVPA methodology.
The results of this study will be support the development of sustainable local conservation policies that will be part of Vale de Sousa local conservation action plan.
This is a first step taken towards the integral valorization of large trees in north of Portugal, we hope that in the future it will be possible to replicate these efforts in other forested areas. Further opportunities to extrapolate these efforts at broader scales are highlighted, such as policies and regulations that may trigger this necessary valorization.

4. METHODOLOGY.

The research will be accomplished in five time blocks:
T1. Forestry component, information collection in accordance with local protocols and the agreement of an agenda and articulation with environmental management plans from the regional entities (ICNF).
Selection of Large trees,with cultural assessment through documentary research about their species and other local information.
T2. Fieldwork visits, under microhabitats approach. Identification and analysis of structures in large trees selected that act as shelter for a large number of living beings. They are called microhabitats and can be, for example, cavities, dead branches, wounds on the bark, among others. In total there are 64 different structures that can be found in the Catalog of microhabitats, developed by the Integrate+ Project.
Recollection of local stories, (local interviews and informal talks with neighbors of large trees selected). We will to know values and uses of tree species identified. (Social cartography).
T3. Lab and data collection. This data will be arranged for each tree with biocultural values
T.4. Proposal of management model of large trees.
T.5. Dissemination of results and challenges.

5. IMPLEMENTATION.

The project will take place in 24 months and include 6 months of fieldwork in year 1 (identification of trees and local talks and interviews), 6 months of tree evaluation and back ground with local community and report or results and conclusions in year 2. The implementation is set in five milestones (ask for detail information): M1. Identification diagnostic and analysis secondary information. M2. Field visit and methodology share with local communities. M3 fieldwork (visit trees). M4. Data collection and processing information. M5. Dissemination of project results to local community and public.

6. EXPECTED OUTPUTS.

The project will have four tangible deliverables.
D1. Identification of group large trees and their biocultural and spiritual values in Vale de Sousa (Portugal).
D2. Give visibility to a network of trees, and groves that relate nature and culture, recognizing their biocultural heritage and micro habit importance.
D3. A management model that can be applied regionally to protect this trees, and groves. This model includes landscape biocultural network planning and design guidelines for future forest landscape interventions.

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY. ASK FOR IT