Bussaco will coordinate international project on therapeutic forests

“ A Mata do Bussaco is now committed to shaping the future of public policies by proving with real data how nature supports physical and mental health. This project will serve as a basis for new conservation, health and nature tourism strategies in Portugal and around the world,” said the president of Fundação Mata do Bussaco, Gonçalo Breda Marques.

Titled PhorestAll, this scientific research project for therapeutic forests will last for three years.

The international consortium is coordinated in Portugal, from Bussaco, by Destination (Agency for the Development of Nature Tourism), bringing together universities, research institutes and specialized organizations from five countries.

According to the Mata do Bussaco Foundation, the study aims to accurately decipher why forests generate so much well-being, “transforming the international recognition of Bussaco into a pioneering program that deepens the relationship between biodiversity and human health”.

“ This research model will not be limited to Portugal. It will be replicated in forests of four other participants: Slovenia, Poland, Lithuania and Taiwan”.

In Mata do Bussaco, researchers from Coimbra University’s Functional Ecology Center will cross “three fundamental pillars of information: Biodiversity – the variety and state of forest species; Soil microbiome – communities of bacteria and fungi living underground; Fitoncidas – The volatile compounds that trees release in the air and that visitors breathe while walking”.

“ These biological and environmental factors will be crossed with the health and well-being indicators of the participants to fully objectively and scientifically measure the real impact of nature on the human body.”.

In addition to the scientific component, PhorestAll provides for strong community participation, involving schools, citizens, health professionals, policy-makers and forest owners through ‘workshops’, local meetings and training actions aimed at converting scientific knowledge into concrete sustainability measures.

Registration for participation in the study is already open, with the first session of forest therapy scheduled for the day 26.

In July, the Bussaco National Forest received certification as the first Therapeutic Forest of the Iberian Peninsula, being also the fourth in the world.

Mata do Bussaco, located in the parish of Luso, municipality of Mealhada (district of Aveiro), was classified as a national monument in December 2017.

It currently occupies about 105 hectares and has “one of the best dendrological collections in Europe, with about 250 species of trees and shrubs with notable examples”.