An association of people who won’t give up on the forest.
+Pinhal is a non-profit, non-partisan environmental association dedicated to defending the Ovar Dunes Forest Perimeter and its biodiversity.
Mission
To mitigate and reverse the degradation of the Ovar Dunes Forest Perimeter by promoting a sustainable model of forest management that safeguards the ecosystem, the coastline and the community, today and for future generations.
Values
- Scientific rigour: technical grounding through collaboration with biologists, researchers and specialists.
- Independence: strictly non-partisan and non-profit.
- Action on the ground: fieldwork and informed civic participation in local and national decision-making.
- Community: the forest is a common good, and defending it requires the active participation of every citizen.
Our story
As early as 2018, intensive resin tapping in the Cortegaça forest, the so-called “tapping to death”, which signalled large-scale clear-cutting to come, caused deep concern among local residents.
In 2022, the clear-cutting set out in the 2016-2026 Forest Management Plan began, felling entire stands of pine and the surrounding dune vegetation, some of them only a few hundred metres from the shoreline.
The Plan was suspended, and a revision towards more sustainable management of the whole ecosystem was expected.
Instead, at the end of 2024, a new Plan was published that proved even more damaging to the forest, with clear-cutting on an even larger scale than first planned.
+Pinhal was born of that outrage: residents, scientists and friends of the forest who organised to denounce the new Plan and the poor practices in carrying it out, and to demand proper control of invasive species. We aim to raise awareness and involve the community, policymakers at local, national and European level, and the managing bodies, towards sustainable management of the forest.
Ongoing actions
Petition to Parliament and the European Commission
We demand the suspension of clear-cutting and a new management plan, publicly discussed with citizens and experts.
Invasive species control
Regular actions removing acacias and other invasive species that are replacing the native dune vegetation.
The Camarinha Project
We collaborate on protecting the camarinha and on environmental education: guided walks, schools and citizen science.
The people behind the association
Governing Bodies
Board
- Margarida CoelhoPresident
- Eugenia CastroVice-president
- Ricardo CoelhoTreasurer
- Nuno Gomes, Rosa Silva, Ana Isabel Lopes e Joana SousaBoard members
- Rubim Almeida, Elsa Vale, Pedro Pardinha, Rita Castro e Nuno QuentalAlternates
General Assembly Board
- Pedro Manuel Alexandrino FernandesChair
- Lígia Reis Oliveira ViolasSecretary
- Ismael CasottiMember
- João Paulo NunesAlternate member
Audit Committee
- João Ricardo de Gouveia Soares Mendes da CostaChair
- Tiago André Veloso GonçalvesSecretary
- Vítor Hugo CorreiaMember
Working Groups
Scientific Council
Brings together specialists in forest management and production, biology, ecology and land-use planning. Its members help analyse documents and issue technical opinions.
Legal Council
Brings together legal specialists who follow the applicable legislation and advise and support the association in legal proceedings.
Advisory Council
Includes representatives of operational bodies and the local community, such as fire brigades, schools, civic movements, platforms and local associations. It ensures the association's positions are built in dialogue with the community, keeping them representative.
Communications Unit
Responsible for content, social media, graphic design and the association's online presence. Makes the forest's activities and issues clear and accessible to the public.
Administration and Accounts Unit
Responsible for membership, invoicing and accounting. Ensures transparency and rigour in reporting to members, donors and the authorities.
What people ask us most
What is +Pinhal?
We are a non-profit association defending the Ovar Dunes Forest Perimeter. We are not a political party or an informal group: we have statutes, elected governing bodies and accounts to answer for.
Is the association against felling trees?
No. We are against clear-cutting, that is, felling whole areas at once, leaving the dune exposed and the soil without cover. A pine forest is managed through thinning and selective felling, and that is what we argue for.
Who owns the forest, and who manages it?
The Ovar Dunes Forest Perimeter is public property in the private domain of the local authorities. It includes municipal land belonging to the parish councils of Esmoriz, Cortegaça, Maceda and Arada and to Ovar City Council, and is managed directly by ICNF, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests. That is why most of our questions and requests for clarification go to these bodies.
Do I have to live in the municipality of Ovar to become a member?
No. The forest is public land and anyone can help defend it, wherever they live.
Can I take part in activities without becoming a member?
Yes. Our work on the ground (invasive species control, clean-ups, guided walks) is open to anyone who turns up. Membership gives us continuity and institutional weight, but it is not a condition for taking part.
How is the association funded?
Membership fees and donations are our main source of income. The accounts are presented at the General Assembly and the minutes are published in the institutional archive.
I saw something worrying in the forest. What should I do?
Write to us with what you saw, where and when, with photographs if you have them. We gather that information, check it on the ground where we can and, where it is warranted, file a formal complaint with the relevant authorities, which we then make public.
What is the aim of the public petition?
The petition calls for the immediate suspension of clear-cutting operations in the forest. For the matter to be debated in a plenary session of the Assembleia da República, it needs at least 7,500 signatures.
A repository of management plans, official documents, meeting minutes and the record of requests submitted to the relevant authorities, including their responses.