ABOUT MONTIS

MONTIS – Associação para a Gestão e Conservação da Natureza (management and conservation of nature) is a Non Governmental Association, not for profit and with national scope. Created on the 21st of March 2014, MONTIS headquarters are in Vouzela, Portugal. The association focus is land management.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of March 2023, MONTIS has 423 member and manages around 300 ha – corresponding to 34 proprerties in central Portugal and one more in the Lisbon area.

The central objectives of MONTIS are to ensure the development of natural processes, to promote the conservation of native species, to intelligently manage forest fires and other natural hazards and to increase the market value of biodiversity.

MARGINAL TERRITORIES

We believe in bringing management to marginal territories that are currently undergoing a deep process of abandonment. To do this, we acquire land and manage it in order to increase biodiversity, seeking to ensure the sustainability of the management of both our land and other owners’ land.

Motivação
A conservação da natureza tem como objecto a conservação de valores que nem sempre são suscetíveis de valorização no mercado. Por essa razão implica uma gestão do território que pode não ter proveitos suficientes para cobrir os seus custos.

Nestas circunstâncias ou as pessoas comuns mobilizam recursos obtidos noutras actividades para garantir essa conservação, ou o Estado assume inteiramente esse encargo, ou os valores correm o risco de ser preteridos face a decisões mais racionais do ponto de vista da rentabilidade das propriedades.

A Montis pretende trazer uma garantia às pessoas que se lhe associem, de que os recursos que aplicarem são directamente aplicados na compra de terrenos fugindo assim à lógica de rentabilização mais directa. As pessoas passam a ter a possibilidade de visitar áreas geridas prioritariamente para a conservação, consciencializando e permitindo o contacto directo com paisagens, plantas e animais que raramente se encontram noutro contexto.

MOTIVATION

Nature conservation has as its object the conservation of values that are not always susceptible to get market value. For this reason, it involves land management which may not have sufficient income to cover its costs.

In these circumstances, either ordinary people mobilise resources obtained from other activities to ensure this conservation, or the State assumes this burden entirely, or the values run the risk of being disregarded in the face of more rational decisions from the point of view of the profitability of the properties.

MONTIS intends to bring a guarantee to the people who associate with us, that the resources they apply are directly employed to the purchase of land, thus escaping the logic of more direct profitability. People will have the possibility to visit areas managed primarily for conservation, raising awareness and allowing direct contact with landscapes, plants and animals that are rarely found in other contexts.

OUR DIFFERENCE

MONTIS focus relates with buying land and, as far as possible to create market value from natural values, ensuring continuity in the conservation of their existing values and involving the community as much as possible. The highlight of the association is noted in the great effort of transparency and communication of results, with direct openness in the verification of the land evolution through visits, transmitting confidence to its members and those involved.

Montis Conservaçao de Natureza

Governing bodies

Executive team

President


Teresa Maria Gamito

Vice-President


Luís Lopes

Treasurer


Margarida Silva

Secretary-general


Wouter de Broeke

Member of the executive team


Francisco de Almeida Garrett

Supervisory board

President


Henrique Pereira dos Santos

Member of the supervisory board


Júlio de Jesus

Member of the supervisory board


Vítor Lima Vieira

General Assembly Board

President


João Ruano

Secretary


João Cosme

Secretary


Sofia Spormann