Reviving the castro valley

The project of reviving the castro valley aims at defining strategies for resettling the valley of wintervillages and recover its identity based on a multifunctional and  sustainable livelhood. 

 The project is an initiative of iDiv and the University of Leipzig in collaboration with the parish of Castro Laboreiro and Escola da Gallaecia.

The SIERRA OF PENEDA

 

 The sierra of Peneda is part of the National Park of Peneda Geres and its valley of Laboreiro is one of the best preserved areas within the park, due to the region longtime depopulation trend (watch video) . In fact its dense oakforests have been regenerating bringing benefits to local biodiversity.

Among the threatened species of the region, one can observe the wolf, the deer, the garrano endemic wildhorse, the viper, the eagle and kites. The region hosts some of the prettiest lagoons of the park, and the impressive Castle of Castro Laboreiro. In the plateau of Castro Laboreiro one can find 60 Mamoas or dolmens, which is the largest megalithic monument in the Iberian Peninsula.

For several years the Castro people have adapted to local conditions by embracing a transumant livelihood. In the past shepherds spent their Summertime in highest ground for the greener pastures, while in the Wintertime they were forced to move their cattle to lower grounds along the Laboreiro river valley to avoid the long snowy winters. Therefore the Castro people built houses in both sites.

This is the reason for the 3 different types of villages found in the region: the summer villages or Brandas; the winter villages or Inverneiras and the all year long villages or «lugar fixo» such as the village of Castro Laboreiro. Since there are now fewer shepherds in the region due to people´s aging (emigration has also played a role) and climate change has caused fewer snowy winters, people chose to live permanently in their summer villages, thus the winter villages are now uninhabited.

As grazing has decreased in the winter valley, nature has regenerated itself, around the 20 winter villages found in the valley, 18 of each are wintervillages. In the last 10 years, houses in these villages are being rebuilt for tourism.
For more info on these villages check Bolsa.

The project goal is to use participative methods in order to foster know-how and capacity among locals and newcomers to resettle the valley towards a sustainable livelihood. 

Workshops providing information about the region will take place in Casa do Carvalhal. The first workshop took place  on September 2017. Check workshop.
The Casa do Carvalhal is located in the Inverneira of Podre which is adjacent to a oakforest. The building showcases sustainable construction techniques. The building adaptation/ retrofitting was rated by the Portuguese environmental rating scheme (LiderA)  as A+ , the highest class.
  

 Courses

The courses last 1 week and include 8 people max.
Accommodation can be included in the course enrollment. Traveling to Castro Laboreiro is not included.
E-mail: minescabral@gmail.com