ESC: Cabeço Santo Way - Forest restoration and Rural communities reinforce

Associação Cabeço Santo (ACS) is an NGO for environmental knowledge and practice. We deal with the preservation and ecological restoration of the native forest landscapes, for the sake of the health of the soil, water, and for the resilience of the ecosystems. We are on a process of combatting the non-native growth and safeguarding the animal and vegetal niches for biodiversity and for the remanence of the native biomes. Our regular activities lie in the removal of invasive species, sowing and planting of native species, and signalling pedestrian trails for the discovery of native habitats. Our creation in December 2019 gave continuity to and expanded the 13-year-old Project Cabeço Santo. Since then, we have had 67 volunteer initiatives, involving 299 volunteers, from ACS members, civic society, schools, partnerships and the corporate sector. Moreover, we have experience in social skills development activities within our team. Our core competencies are to build a non-formal learning environment between young people and our local community stakeholders. Through our capacity building approach, we aim to promote the individual resilience in each volunteer and a sense of collective awareness in line with the values of the European Union. We combine theory with practice and encourage the volunteers to develop their sustainable development skills. We welcome volunteers with less opportunities and are prepared for the reinforced mentoring of each person.