The residents of Pórtugos, tucked away in the Alpujarra Granadina and within the within the Parque Protegido de Sierra Nevada are busy.

This is because they are well into an environmental recovery & conservation project, which is funded by the Junta de Andalucía and the EU.

The project includes habitat improvement on a 20-hectare plot of land called El Capullo, as well as the making of a forest nursery at an altitude of 1,700 metres; it’s task will be to manage the recovery of native flora species.

The Mayor Vázquez Martín explained that the land encompassed within El Capullo several cortijos and two eras (threshing floors). The Village Council had acquired it about two decades ago, and were now finishing off the restoration of the cortijos in pure Alpujarreño style, which will be used as Nature classrooms.

It’s a naturally wooded area about eight kilometres from the centre of the village with plenty of oaks (holm oaks) and spring water. There is also a forest track next to it which leads to Trevélez and give the area accessibility for forestry work, for example.

Thanks to its elevate position, you can see the sea, the Sierra de La Contraviesa, the Cerrajón de Murtas, the Sierra de Lújar, El Portichuelo, the old Conjuro Mines, and etc, so it might be a good idea to take some binoculars with you if you visit it.

The nursery will produce healthy plants from seedling until they are ready to be transplanted at on a chosen location, making it vital for ensuring a reliable supply vulnerable species. The Alpujarra Granadina has more than 2,100 plant speciesM, nearly 80 species of which are exclusive endemics; i.e., they do not grow anywhere else in the world. To name just three, there are the Estrella de las Nieves’ (Plantago nivalis), La Manzanilla Real (Artemisia Granatensis) and the Violeta de Sierra Nevada (Viola Nevadensis).

(News: Pórtugos, Alpujarra, Granada, Andalucia – Source: Luis Vilchez)

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