With great pride and a sense of responsibility, Corticeira Amorim is celebrating the launch of the "Suber-protected Villages" programme, an innovative initiative developed by Quercus, with our support. This ambitious project - whose pilot project was launched on 23 November -represents another milestone in our ongoing journey of sustainability and environmental protection.
Our collaboration with Quercus, one of Portugal’s most respected environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGA), underlines our commitment to the preservation of forests and the well-being of rural communities. By combining our forces, we not only reinforce the safety and quality of life in villages located in fire-risk areas, but also promote a sustainable vision for the future.
The programme was launched in Unhais da Serra, in a highly significant moment, not only due to the symbolic planting and sowing of 500 cork oak trees, but also for the involvement of the local community, including 30 volunteers from the EB 2/3 school in Paul. This pilot project, in an area previously devastated by a major forest fire in 2018, is the start of a wider journey to protect our villages and their surrounding natural environment.
Cristina Rios de Amorim, director of Corticeira Amorim responsible for the company’s Sustainability strategy, emphasises that "like everyone else in Portugal, we are extremely concerned about the successive forest fires, which have extremely serious consequences at all levels - social, environmental and economic. That's why we value all actions that can prevent them from occurring and that promote the safety and protection of local communities. The "Suber-protected Villages" programme is profoundly aligned with our responsibility and sustainability strategy, reflecting our commitment to harmonising business with the utmost respect and care for the environment and local communities. We hope that this initiative will serve as a reference and stimulus for other organisations to join us, in this vital initiative to preserve and manage forests, making an active contribution to protection of the regions that are most vulnerable to current and future environmental challenges."
Alexandra Azevedo, President of Quercus, emphasises that "this pilot project is extremely important for leveraging the shift towards an ecological vision, in which suitable vegetation cover, in particular by autochthonous leafy plants, constitutes a barrier to the spread of rural fires, and on the other hand permits long-term savings of resources in the management of areas and new income opportunities, such as the exploitation of cork and the valorisation of other products, such as acorns."
Looking ahead, the programme plans to expand to other geographical areas, opening up applications so that more villages can join the project in the 2024/25 planting cycle. With the ambition to plant at least 20,000 trees, the programme is expected to become a benchmark in environmental conservation and the promotion of sustainable practices in Portugal.