Lisboa, Lisboa (FUA), Portugal
City population: 2679729
Duration: 2021 – 2022
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 300 m2
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: May 2025

The Mediterranean climate in Lisbon, already characterised by low precipitation, has been further exacerbated by climate change. The city faces challenges related to biodiversity loss, urban loneliness, and climate anxiety (1). To address these issues, Lisbon's urban development plans have prioritised the re-naturalisation of urban spaces and the integration of ecological networks. Urban nature is now a central component of the city's Master Plan (2012) and other strategic agendas (1). It is being developed by the LISGREEN project, which aims to enhance ecological connectivity and mitigate the effects of urban heat islands in Lisbon. By establishing nature-based solutions, it aims to restore forests within the city (1, 2, 3). This project encompasses different strategies, such as the RENATURA pilot project. It is a collaboration with the NGO URBEM and involves active public participation in tree planting and forest maintenance. This initiative aims to educate the community about nature, promote well-being, and mitigate extreme climate events (1), through the creation of urban forests. The main strategy is to create fast forests using the Miyawaki method, which involves dense planting of native trees, removal of invasive plants, and intensive initial care. This approach accelerates the growth of natural forests within a short period, using native species and reducing the need for watering (1) The first fast forest was developed in Parque Casal Vistoso within Bela Vista Park, within the Eastern Green Corridor of Lisbon. The park is being underutilised because of the lack of shade (1). Thus, this initiative encouraged volunteers to participate in tree planting and forest maintenance activities (3). The NbS intervention began with a 300m² experimental plot near the Vale da Montanha pedestrian bridge and has since expanded to a new 1,500m² plot on the opposite side of the bridge (2). Over 500 volunteers joined the effort, planting more than 3,800 trees (1)

A view of the trees and vegetation of the forest created in Parque do Vale da Montanha
Fast forest in Parque do Vale da Montanha
Network Nature

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Noise reduction
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation
  • Improving mental health
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social interaction
  • Environmental education
  • Sense of community and community engagement

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

  • Climate-Related Hazards
  • Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
  • Environmental Degradation
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
  • Mental health issues (stress, anxiety)
  • Social fragmentation and isolation

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Urban reforestation, restoration of street trees, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Ecological restoration of existing green spaces

Project objectives

To educate the community about nature, promote people’s well-being, and mitigate extreme climate events through tree planting (1) To create dense forests in communities quickly, making them more resilient to the present climate challenges (2, 5) To plant diverse native species together to create resilient ecosystems (2, 5) To foster public-private partnerships and engage local communities through collaborative, participatory processes of co-design, implementation, and maintenance (2) To increase social inclusion, social interaction, and community’s sense of ownership (2) To increase the use of autochthonous plants providing habitats for birds, insects, and other plants supporting biodiversity (2) To reduce urban heat and enhance air quality (2) To accelerate health benefits by facilitating contact with nature (2) To complement existing NbS with new solutions (2) To enhance ecological connectivity in the inner city (2) To redesign urban areas, transforming the public image of urban environments (2) To create ‘quiet’ areas inside the city, with lower noise exposure and better air quality, supporting investment into environmental health and ‘anti-stress’ lifestyles (2)

Implementation activities

The general activities of the project are: - Planning, execution, and ongoing management and monitoring of the Fast Forest (1, 5) - The proper selection and procurement of local plant species, soil preparation, planting, watering, and short-term and long-term maintenance to ensure the forest’s viability (1, 5) - Community engagement and collaboration to guarantee a sense of ownership and sustainability of the project (1, 5) - Effective communication and marketing strategies for disseminating information about the project’s benefits and garnering support from diverse stakeholders (5) - To ensure a bigger impact with more Fast Forests being developed in Lisbon, Urbem sets up a consultancy model with neighbourhood associations. This model provides ideation and project management on how to plant Miyawaki forests with community support (1) - Partnership models have been explored with churches, prisons, schools and other private entities, to ensure the continuation of the project (1)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
  • Reducing socio-economic vulnerability to climate impacts (e.g. awareness raising)
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes

Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities

Urban heat islands

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Non-government organisation/Civil Society
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants
  • Unknown

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Non-government organisation/civil society

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Lisbon Municipality: Coordinates the project and oversees the Green Structure Department (5). Support the project by allocating the land along with plant material, water for irrigation and tools (1, 5) Horizon 2020 Project: Funding (2) URBEM, ONG: it manages the Renatura pilot and provides the know-how on the practical implementation of the forests (1, 5). Co-manages the “Tiny Forest” project with expertise from the Faculty of Science (University of Lisbon) (5). Civil society - residents and volunteers from diverse backgrounds participate in the tree-planting sessions (1) Private organisations, like the local law firm PLMJ, also provide funding for administrative costs related to communication and assist the pilot with free services like legal consultancy and marketing support (1) Urbem also explores partnership models with churches, prisons, schools and other private entities to access urban land (1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Lisbon's Master Plan - 2012 (2) Strategic agendas such as the 2010 Biodiversity Strategy, the 2017 Climate Adaptation Strategy, and the Climate Action Plan Lisbon 2030 (2) The strategic alignment of sustainability strategies, policies, and ongoing NbS projects has allowed Lisbon to assert itself as a leading city in the fight against climate change, responsive to the 2030 decarbonisation targets set by the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, of which Lisbon is part (2))

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), NBS research project (e.g., H2020, Urban Living Labs, national research projects), Collaboration with other projects that implemented NBS

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Corporate investment
  • EU funds

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
  • Provision of goods
  • Provision of labour
  • Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
  • Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
  • Private sector (businesses, financial institution)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Lowered local temperature
  • Expected lowered local temperature
  • Enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Expected improved air quality
  • Reduced noise exposure
  • Expected reduced noise exposure
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Expected improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Achieved increased green space area
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Expected reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Expected increased number of species present
  • Increased presence and recovery of wild species
  • Expected increased presence and recovery of wild species
  • Enhanced support of pollination
  • Expected enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
  • Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
  • Increased property prices
  • Expected increased property prices
  • Attraction of business and investment
  • Expected attraction of business and investment

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Expected improved social cohesion
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Achieved improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Improved physical health
  • Expected improved physical health
  • Improved prevention of respiratory problems
  • Expected improved prevention of respiratory problems
  • Enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
  • Expected enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Increased appreciation for natural spaces
  • Expected increased appreciation for natural spaces
  • Education
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Social justice and conflicts, Gentrification

References

1.
Lisbon Conexus Life-Lab (2023). Fast Forests for Lisbon: Nature, Community, Connections. Accessed on October 16, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Network Nature (n.d.). CONEXUS (6.1) – LISGREEN: re-naturing urban spaces in Lisbon. Accessed on October 16, 2024, [Source link];
3.
URBEM (n.d.). Parque do Vale da Montanha Fast Forest: Plot 2. Accessed on October 16, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Global Tree Initiative (2022). A whisper from the woods. Accessed on October 16, 2024, [Source link];
5.
CONEXUS (2024). LISGREEN – Renatura Fast Forests for Lisbon. Accessed on October 16, 2024, [Source link];
Fast Forest in Parque do Vale da Montanha
Fast Forest in Parque do Vale da Montanha
URBEM
naturescapes bannerInformation about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.