Small actions, big impacts
Plantar o Futuro is based on the idea that small actions can have a big impact and that if every one of us plants a tree, one day we will have a forest. We challenge the University of Aveiro’s students, teachers and staff to adopt a native tree, care for it and, finally, plant it and help raise a forest!
Organised by Agora Aveiro, in collaboration with the University of Aveiro’s Grupo para a Sustentabilidade and the Municipality of Estarreja, Plantar o Futuro represents a movement for the defence and growth of the native forest and its role in climate change mitigation, forest fire resilience and biodiversity conservation.
7
Years of history
4800+
Planted trees
610+
Volunteers
3000+
Adopters
How was the project born?
This project is the expansion of “Biologia a Plantar o Futuro”, an initiative born out of the determination of the University of Aveiro's biology students, back in 2014.
In 2018, the project becomes “Plantar o Futuro” and reaches the University of Aveiro’s entire academic community. In December of that year, the students, staff and teachers adopted oaks, hollies, alders, and other native trees, cared for them for 2 months, and, with the arrival of Spring, had the opportunity to plant them with the future in mind.
Through the project, thousands of trees have already been planted in Mata Nacional do Buçaco and the Municipalities of Albergaria-a-Velha, Lousada and Estarreja, also contributing to the awareness and education for the sustainability of hundreds of university students.
How do we plant the future?
1st phase
Where everything begins
We acquire small native trees from a certified local grower. We then transplant the trees into larger pots to allow them to grow and develop.
Avanca, Estarreja, Aveiro2nd phase
Maintenance
The trees are watered and maintained by Municipality of Estarreja’s Technical Team, in their greenhouses, until the adoption phase.
Avanca, Estarreja, Aveiro3rd phase
Adoption
The moment to adopt your tree has arrived! We deliver the trees to the care of students, teachers and staff of University of Aveiro.
University of Aveiro, Aveiro4th phase
Taking care of the trees
During this phase, the adopters take care of their small trees, always with the support of the project’s support team.
Your home5th phase
Let’s plant the future
All adopters are called back into action to participate in the reforestation and invasive plant control actions.
Salreu, Estarreja, Aveiro6th phase
Make it grow
After being planted, the trees are left in the care of the Municipality of Estarreja’s Technical Team to grow and create a forest.
Salreu, Estarreja, Aveiro“If each one of us plants a tree, one day we will have a forest„
Know more about the native forest
Throughout the various editions of Plantar o Futuro, we have developed a set of guides with information on how to take care of our trees. These guides, made with the scientific support of the University of Aveiro’s Biology Department, contain information about the native species used in the project, as well as invasive species and the Portuguese Forest as a whole. Here you can access the various editions of this guide.
What we did
We have planted over 4800 native trees over the project's 7 years. The map shows the trees planted in the 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 edition. Click on the respective edition to make them appear!