Last updated: September 2024
The reforestation project at Bela Vista Park in Lisbon is a collaborative effort by the MEO Kalorama music festival, the Lisbon City Council, and Quercus (local NGO). The intervention began with a community planting event in February 2024 with the planting of 80 native trees, and the goal to plant a total of a total of 1,000 trees. The project aimed to improve the park's biodiversity, enhance carbon absorption, and support local wildlife. The tree species were chosen for their suitability to the local climate and their ability to integrate with existing vegetation. Local schoolchildren and residents participated in the planting, serving as a community engagement activity. This initiative is part of broader efforts to make Lisbon greener and to positively contribute to the local environment, given the disturbance caused by the MEO Kalorama festival (Ref 1, 2, 3).
Bela Vista Tree Planting
Catherine Leite
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Deforestation and forest degradation
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Urban reforestation, restoration of street trees
Project objectives
1. Enhance Biodiversity: Plant 1,000 native trees to create a more resilient and diverse ecosystem (Ref 3, 4).
2. Mitigate Carbon Emissions: Reduce carbon emissions associated with events like the MEO Kalorama festival by creating forest cover with a strong potential for carbon absorption (Ref 4, 5).
3. Improve ecosystem resilience: Vegetation species were selected for their adaptability to the local climate and compatibility with native vegetation (Ref. 4).
4. Improve Water Management: Enhancing the park's vegetation will address issues like runoff and erosion (Ref 2).
5. Foster Community Engagement: Involve local residents and schoolchildren in the reforestation efforts to promote environmental awareness and participation (Ref 1, 2).
Implementation activities
1. Planting 1,000 Native Trees: Enhances biodiversity and mitigates carbon emissions by introducing resilient tree species (Ref 3, 4, 5).
2. Community Involvement: Engages local residents and schoolchildren in planting activities to foster environmental awareness and social inclusion (Ref 1, 2).
3. Selection of Tree Species: Ensures trees are suitable for local climate, maximizing carbon absorption and improving water retention (Ref 4, 5). A project ally, “Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation, which selected the species that will be planted in the area. The aim is to ensure greater resilience of the ecosystem”, the organization reported. The factors to be taken into account were “carbon absorption capacity, adaptability to the local climate and compatibility with native vegetation”. (Ref. 4)
4. Collaboration with Environmental Organizations: Partners with Quercus for expert guidance on species selection and ecological impact (Ref 4, 5).
5. Public Awareness and Education: Implements educational programs to raise awareness about biodiversity and sustainability (Ref 1, 2, 6).
The project addresses biodiversity loss, carbon absorption, and water management issues through targeted tree planting and species selection. Community involvement and public education enhance environmental stewardship and awareness.
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)
- Improve carbon sequestration through selection of more adaptable species
- Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore valued species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Other
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project is led by the MEO Kalorama festival and in partnership with the Lisbon City Council and Quercus, a national environmental organization. The Lisbon City Council provides support and oversight, ensuring alignment with city-wide environmental goals, while Quercus contributes expertise in selecting native tree species and ensuring ecological sustainability. Additionally, the project emphasizes community involvement, with local residents and schoolchildren participating in the implementation (Ref 1, 3, 4).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
- Water management and blue areas
- Reduced risk of damages by drought
- Expected reduced risk of damages by drought
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Expected reduced biodiversity loss
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Lisbon Municipality (2024). Reflorestação do Parque da Bela Vista avança com apoio da Câmara de Lisboa. Accessed on September 1, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Leite, C. (2024). Estão a crescer novas árvores no parque da Bela Vista em Lisboa. [Source link];
3.
Rodrigues, L. (2024). MEO Kalorama vai plantar mil árvores no Parque da Bela Vista. Accessed on September 1, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Bento, D. (2024). MEO Kalorama is planting a thousand trees in Bela Vista Park. Accessed on September 1, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Valter, L. (2024). MEO KALORAMA and Quercus help reforest Bela Vista Park with 1,000 trees. Accessed on September 1, 2024,;
6.
Lisbon Municipality (2024). Sheep return to Bela Vista Park. Accessed on September 1, 2024, [Source link];
eflorestação do Parque da Bela Vista avança com apoio da Câmara de Lisboa
Ref. 1
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.