Ecosystem restoration with the help of GPS devices for horses

What is Rewilding Portugal, and how does it contribute to ecosystem restoration and species reintroduction in the region?

Rewilding is a progressive approach to nature conservation. It is about letting nature take care of itself, allowing natural processes to shape the land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems, and restore degraded landscapes.

With the reintroduction of herbivorous species, we play a very important role in fire prevention by opening clearings in shrubland areas, which consequently creates habitats for wildlife.

What are Rewilding Portugal’s long-term goals for ecosystem restoration?

In the long term, we want the Gran Valle del Côa to be a wilder place, with coherent and fully functional ecosystems and abundant wildlife. A place where natural processes and complete food chains play a fundamental role in landscape regeneration.

Currently, fauna has returned to certain parts of the area, and species such as red deer and roe deer continue to expand their range. We also want to build an economy based on nature and culture to foster community support that sustains a wilder environment, where natural processes and wildlife shape the landscape.

How do you believe new technologies can transform the future of ecological restoration, and what do you expect from these technological advancements?

We believe that new technologies are key to allowing us to evaluate the evolution of certain natural processes occurring at a large scale without the need to overburden field teams, such as the use of drones, wildlife monitoring cameras, and GPS devices for horses.

How do Digitanimal GPS devices help in livestock management across areas as vast as those where Rewilding Portugal operates?

The introduced herbivore herds are geolocated with Digitanimal devices.

In our day-to-day operations, given the vast extent of our areas, this helps our employees easily find the animals that need to be monitored and observed, and it allows us to intervene quickly if any animal leaves our properties.

In the long term, it creates grazing maps for us and helps us easily understand which areas are most used by the animals.

¿What types of species does Rewilding Portugal reintroduce in its ecological restoration projects?

In the final years of the project, horses were introduced into the restoration areas—specifically the Sorraia, a Portuguese breed at risk of extinction.

The Tauros breed is the result of a project that aims to come as close as possible to the extinct Aurochs through back-breeding processes.

European bison from Poland were also introduced, creating mixed herds capable of consuming herbaceous plants, as well as tree and shrub species.”

What role do horses play in Rewilding Portugal’s restoration and grazing projects?

Sorraias are wild horses that are extremely resilient to environmental conditions—a trait inherited from their primitive ancestors, whose role they aim to restore within the ecosystems.

As herbivores, they play a fundamental role because they help shape the forest, maintaining grasslands and open areas through natural grazing. They are also great allies in reducing the risk of forest and rural fires, one of the greatest threats in Portugal which has worsened in recent years, precisely because of the landscape regeneration to which they contribute so significantly.

What are the main benefits of using horses for landscape management in difficult-to-access areas?

The objective of these introductions is to take advantage of this species and its semi-wild functions as a large herbivore, as they are of enormous importance in biomass consumption and management, creating new vegetation mosaics.

Could you share an experience where the use of Digitanimal horse collars facilitated the management of reintroduced animals or prevented a major problem?

In 2023, due to an unusual period of drought, the Coa River—which serves as one of the boundaries of our largest area—saw its water levels drop extremely low, and our Tauros cattle managed to cross the river heading toward a nearby village where there are several agricultural fields.

Fortunately, thanks to the Digitanimal horse collars, our team was able to notice this escape and prevent damage to our neighbors’ crops, thereby avoiding problems with the community.

What motivated Rewilding Portugal to start using Digitanimal horse collars, and what changes have you noticed since incorporating them into your restoration and species management projects?

We felt that the durability of the horse GPS devices and their ability to connect in remote areas like the ones where we work made Digitanimal devices the right choice for the type of use we intended for them.

What impact does Rewilding Portugal’s work have on local communities?

People are key

The reintroduction of species into natural habitats is a process that emphasizes the role of people—and their economic and social connections to the land—by working within broader and naturally vibrant ecosystems.

Creation of nature-based economies

By enhancing wildlife and ecosystems, the process of reintroducing wild species offers new economic opportunities through the provision of nature-based livelihoods and profits.

Acting in context

Address the recovery of nature with a long-term understanding of the cultural and environmental history of a place. It is important to take into account the cultural, political, and physical realities of terrestrial and marine landscapes in these ongoing efforts.

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