The fire won't wait. Join the Fire Emergency 26 campaign, support our new Fire Grazing Horses, and help us strengthen Faia Brava's wildfire surveillance team.
Fire Grazing Horses & Fire Emergency 26
At Faia Brava, we believe the best way to fight wildfires is to act before the first flame . That is why we launched the Fire Grazing Horses & Fire Emergency 26 crowdfunding campaign—an initiative designed to strengthen our capacity to prevent and protect this unique landscape in Portugal's Côa Valley.
During the months of highest wildfire risk, Faia Brava's team carries out continuous surveillance, patrols, and land management. Working closely with local communities, firefighters, Civil Protection, the Portuguese Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), municipalities, and other partners, we maintain a prevention network that enables us to detect threats early and respond before a small ignition becomes a major wildfire.
Prevention also happens on the ground. Every year we clear vegetation and manage the landscape to make it more resilient to fire. But our greatest ally works quietly and naturally every day: Faia Brava's inheritance of Garrano horses .
By grazing continuously, the Garranos consume the fine vegetation that fuels wildfires, reduce the build-up of combustible biomass, and help create a mosaic landscape that is far more resistant to the spread of fire. They are true Fire Grazing Horses , playing a vital role in both nature conservation and wildfire prevention.
With your support, we can strengthen Faia Brava's wildfire surveillance, continue managing the landscape, and ensure the welfare and growth of our Garrano herd, which we aim to establish as an international benchmark for conservation grazing.
Every contribution helps protect more biodiversity, more landscapes, and a safer future.
Join the Fire Emergency 26 campaign. Help us prevent wildfires before they happen.
Há paisagens que nos emocionam. E há paisagens que nos chamam à responsabilidade. A Faia Brava é as duas.
About the author
Faia Brava – A Place Where Nature Finds Its Way Back
In the heart of Portugal's Côa Valley lies a landscape where nature is reclaiming its place.
Founded 26 years ago, Faia Brava was Portugal's first private nature reserve and today manages more than 1,000 continuous hectares dedicated to the restoration of Mediterranean ecosystems. Over more than two decades, former farmland and degraded woodland have been transformed into a refuge for hundreds of plant and animal species, proving that when nature is protected and given space, it recovers.
This landscape is home to some of Europe's most iconic birds, including the Egyptian Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, and Griffon Vulture . Holm oaks are regenerating, natural habitats are recovering, and ecological processes that had been interrupted for decades are returning.
Protecting a landscape of this scale requires daily commitment. Faia Brava's team patrols kilometers of tracks, monitors biodiversity, restores habitats, maintains essential infrastructure and, during the summer, intensifies wildfire surveillance—the greatest threat to the recovery of this landscape.
Among Faia Brava's greatest allies is a herd of semi-wild Garrano horses roaming freely across the reserve. By grazing on the fine vegetation that fuels wildfires, these horses reduce fire risk while helping to create a more diverse, resilient and healthy landscape. They are true Fire Grazing Horses , demonstrating how nature itself can become part of the solution to one of today's greatest environmental challenges.
Faia Brava is more than a nature reserve. It is a collective effort that shows conservation depends on people. Every hectare protected, every tree that grows, every wildfire prevented and every species that returns is the result of a community committed to giving nature the space it needs to thrive.
Today, that commitment needs your support.
By contributing to the Fire Grazing Horses & Fire Emergency 26 campaign, you will help strengthen wildfire surveillance across the reserve, support land management and fire prevention, and ensure the continued care and growth of the Garrano herd that helps protect this extraordinary landscape every day.
Together, we can prevent wildfires before they start and ensure that Faia Brava remains a place where nature finds its way back.
O britango é uma das espécies mais raras da nossa avifauna. Ao apoiar esta campanha, ajuda-nos a proteger o seu habitat antes que o fogo o destrua.
Budget and due dates
Fire Refuge Areas for the Fire Grazing Horses
We will create three fire refuge areas , one for each of Faia Brava's Garrano horse herds. These safe areas will protect the animals in the event of a wildfire, ensure access to water and food during critical periods, and facilitate veterinary care. Equipped with fencing, a water trough, a hay feeder, and an emergency hay reserve, the refuge areas will be built progressively as the crowdfunding campaign reaches its funding milestones. Estimated investment: €3,630.
Strengthening Wildfire Surveillance and Prevention
From 15 July to 15 October , we will reinforce Faia Brava's daily wildfire surveillance by increasing patrol hours and extending our presence in the field during the highest-risk period. Donations will help cover fuel, additional staff hours, extra surveillance capacity, and essential equipment. Estimated investment: €2,000.
Community Awareness – Building a Fire-Resilient Landscape
Wildfire prevention also depends on local communities. We will organize 10 awareness sessions in the villages surrounding Faia Brava, promoting good forest management practices, wildfire prevention, and the conservation of native Mediterranean woodlands. Informational materials will also be produced and distributed locally. Estimated investment: €1,000.
Rewards for Our Supporters
Everyone who contributes to the campaign will receive a public thank you. Depending on the amount donated, supporters may also become Faia Brava members, join the Friends of the Fire Grazing Horses community, receive exclusive campaign updates, take part in online sessions with our team, or enjoy a guided visit to the reserve.
Our campaign goal is €5,000 . Every contribution will help strengthen wildfire surveillance, protect the Fire Grazing Horses , and make Faia Brava's landscape more resilient to wildfires.
Because protecting nature begins before the first spark.
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