the importance of

FIRE PREVENTION

The "Serra da Estrela" is a magical place

but summers have tragically become the "fire season."

Each year, thousands of hectares are lost to wildfires, and brave firefighters risk injury or even their lives to protect this natural treasure.

We firmly believe that using grazers on large,

inaccessible land plots can help reduce the damage caused by wildfires.

25km/day

Horses naturally graze over large distances, moving an average of 25 kilometers a day, and in doing so, create firebreaks by consuming combustible vegetation, reducing the risk of forest fires.

17HRs/day

At Quinta da Lua Nova, we’ve fenced the house to allow the horses to roam freely across the land, reaching areas that are inaccessible by machinery. Our horses are domesticated and enjoy frequent visits to the house, where they observe their humans or take naps beneath the oak trees. This grazing method is a form of targeted grazing, where grass patches around the house and under the trees are grazed more intensively.

Did you know that a horse grazes during 17 hours a day to meet its nutritional needs?

“Low-intensity grazing by wild and semi-wild herbivores creates short, grazed patches that can act as natural fire breaks, rather than uniformly short vegetation,” adds Dr Fons van der Plas, senior author of the study and an assistant professor at Wageningen University. “Where needed, short-term intensive grazing, known as ‘targeted grazing’, can be combined with other actions such as mechanical clearing to further reduce fire risk.”

Source: Rewilding Europe