A pioneering step has officially been taken towards the legal protection of nature in Portugal, through the use, for the first time, of the right of surface use as a legal tool to ensure that a private property can be set aside, in perpetuity, for ecological restoration.
Victor van Dooren is Head of Nature for People (and former Enterprise Manager) at Rewilding Europe and one of the key figures responsible for defining and implementing the European strategy dedicated to creating new nature-based business opportunities through rewilding carried out on the ground. In this interview, he discusses the priorities for the coming years, the potential of the Wilder Places platform, and analyzes the sustained growth of the Wild Côa Network project in Portugal.
An interview with Fernando Gil Teixeira, Director of Communications and Enterprise at Rewilding Portugal
In 2025, the Wild Côa Network reaffirmed its position as one of the most significant projects in the Greater Côa Valley region in recent years, consolidating an ambitious vision: to transform nature conservation into a driving force for socio-economic development in this region. Promoted by Rewilding Portugal, the network currently brings together 64 companies, united by a shared vision for the future: to make the Greater Côa Valley “the wildest part of Portugal” and thereby boost its appeal.
After Helena and Tiago, the Those Who Stay series takes to the water. The third story brings us to Cais do Pocinho, in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, where Alexandra and Fernando founded Wild River Tours, boat trips that reveal the Douro Superior and the Côa Valley from a place almost no one sees them. From inside the river.
Rewilding Portugal ended 2025 with very positive results in its nature tourism sector, further establishing this market as a strategic pillar of its operations and for the revitalisation of the Greater Côa Valley region.
The energy transition is now an unavoidable priority on a global scale and has been identified as an urgent solution to the current climate challenges. In the face of climate change, dependence on fossil fuels and energy instability in an increasingly volatile world, it is only natural that renewable energy should emerge as an essential solution for reducing carbon emissions and building a more resilient future with reduced energy dependence, including between countries. However, as this transition progresses rapidly – and often without adequate oversight, driven by economic interests that dictate investment markets – it is becoming increasingly clear that ‘green’ energy is not automatically sustainable energy, or even ‘green’ in the true sense of the word, at least on its own.
Rewilding Portugal carried out the first reintroduction of the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus) in one of its rewilding areas, marking another step forward in the recovery of ecosystems and prey populations in the Greater Côa Valley. The initiative took place in the Ermo das Águias rewilding area, as part of the LIFE LUPI LYNX project, which aims to create the ecological conditions necessary for the expansion of the Iberian wolf and the Iberian lynx in Portugal.
A pilot project organised by Rewilding Portugal and funded by Turismo de Portugal aims to transform key villages in the region into gateways for nature tourism in the Greater Côa Valley. On Monday, Vilar Maior, in Sabugal, took a historic step by officially becoming the first Rewilding Village in the Greater Côa Valley, following the signing of a cooperation agreement between Rewilding Portugal, the Municipality of Sabugal, the Union of Parishes of Aldeia da Ribeira, Vilar Maior and Badamalos, and the Muralhas de Vilar Maior Association.
A river is not merely a watercourse. It is a living, constantly changing system that connects landscapes, transports sediment, sustains biodiversity and has shaped the human cultures living around it for thousands of years. To truly fulfil this role in a functional way, a river must be free. In Portugal, the vast majority of rivers are fragmented by artificial barriers that disrupt this continuity. The River Côa is a prime example of this reality, but also a symbol of hope for its restoration.