Introduced in the scope of the European Business & Biodiversity Initiative and the partnership established among CORTICEIRA AMORIM, NFA (the Portuguese Forest Authority) ICNB (Institute for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity), Quercus (the Portuguese Association for Nature Conservation) and the WWF, this international competition aims to contribute to the development, promotion and recognition of research and scientific knowledge with a view to enhancing the value and the sustainability of the cork oak and associated biodiversity.
The net value of the prize in the amount of € 10,000 (ten thousand euros) constitutes the largest ever prize for a research work in this field.
Research works may be submitted to competition provided that, until the date of their appraisal by a jury, they have not won any award in a competition.
Applications must be submitted no later than May 31, 2010 by completing the form.
The rules governing the competition are posted on the Company's website.
In appraising the works accepted into the competition particular importance will be given to the following aspects: innovation, practical applicability and impact on the enhancement of the value and sustainability of the cork oak and associated biodiversity.
The winner of the first edition of this competition held in 2008 was a team of the Applied Ecology Centre Professor Baeta Neves, Agronomy Institute of Lisbon. The winning work focused on the effects of the absence of livestock grazing on the biodiversity of cork oak landscapes and the reasons for using a rotational grazing system.
Did you know ...?
The basis of a recognized biodiversity hotspot in the world - and the only one in Europe - the cork oak forest presents a high level of plant diversity (having been recorded more than 100 species in 0.1 ha plots) and is habitat to over 160 species of birds, 37 species of mammals and 24 species of reptiles and amphibians. Cork oak landscapes contribute to the survival of many species of fauna and to safeguard the environment.
An unique natural landscape, the cork oak forest is a natural treasure that provides invaluable environmental services: soil conservation, regulation of the hydrologic cycle, carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation.
