Next September we are going to launch the participatory process for the creation and maintenance of an urban mini-forest at ISEG.
This process is part of the TERRARE research project: action-research for eco-social regeneration, coordinated by Oriana Rainho Brás, a researcher at SOCIUS/CSGThe project is supported by ISEG Sustainability. FCUL, a pioneer in the creation of urban mini-forests in Portugal, is a partner of the project.
Eco-social workshops will be held throughout the autumn and winter months of 2023, to involve the university community and develop the necessary knowledge to create and maintain a forest according to the "tiny forest" method proposed by biologist Akira Miyawaki. This method follows the principles of natural succession, through the intense planting of native species that allows their rapid growth in small spaces of up to 300m2. The model of tiny forest brings several benefits such as the diversification of local fauna and flora, carbon absorption, water fixation, thermal regulation and soil regeneration. Members of the ISEG community are invited to participate in the creation of this forest, which aims to be a living and participatory laboratory, ranging from planning, design, implementation, and care, through to enjoyment.
The project starts this summer by completely covering all the land chosen for the mini-forest, next to the Francisco Pereira de Moura library, at the back of the Francesinhas I building. This methodology will be applied to eliminate invasive weeds without damaging the topsoil, to make it suitable for planting. The project also has the partnership of Valorsul - Valorização e Tratamento de Resíduos Sólidos das Regiões de Lisboa e do Oeste, SA., which will provide the organic compost required to enrich the soil.
The TERRARE research project aims to reflect on the eco-social processes involved in the creation of an urban mini-forest and involves the participation of the university community. It also reflects the dynamics of research on soil regeneration through reforestation and community involvement.
Would you like to receive more information about the project? Please click HERE.
Would you like to take part in the first practical mini-forest workshop? Please sign up HERE.
A forest for the university, a university for the forest. Positive values and actions in the present and for the future.
