Q.02
Three questions—
on restoring biodiversity
Fredrik Jönsson
19 Dec 2024
—
5 min read
We speak to Uwe Heitkamp, founder of the ecology magazine Eco123 and creator of the Jardim Botânico Caldas Monchique, a botanical garden in the Monchique mountains in the Algarve, Portugal. His idea to create a botanical garden was born as a protest against the increasing destruction of soil and ecosystems due to monoculture and deforestation in the area, fuelled by the financial interests of multinational paper companies. Inspired by the way this land has traditionally been farmed, Heitkamp's mission is to create a biodiverse forest garden with native plants and trees.
All Things Are: In keeping with the historic agricultural landscape, I understand that fruit trees play a big part in the planting design. Could you tell us a little about the trees in the garden?
Uwe Heitkamp: We have only native trees in the botanical garden. Over three hectares and 12 historic terraces, we have planted fruit trees in a circle of time. From January oranges, lemons, grapefruit, clementines, Spanish oranges for marmalade, and three different types of guava. In February we harvest bananas. Then in April we harvest Mispel, which is a loquat, then apricots (10 June) and peaches (July), grapes and fresh figs (early August), apples and pears (end of August) and Bella Luisa tea (all year round).
We have tried different types of cherries, including sour cherries, but unfortunately the climate on the south side of the Monchique mountain is not right with this heat. The same with chestnuts. They need cool winters. That is ideal for the north side of Monchique, in the shade of the mountain.
But yes, we harvest walnuts in October, and we have two huge bay leaf trees and several pepper trees. And a big 120 year old umbrella pine. Pepper and bay leaf, persimmon (kaki) in October and then again in December citrus etc. We call this our fruit circle.
Monchique has been plagued by catastrophic forest fires in recent years, and I guess the botanical garden provides a kind of live prototype for testing the resilience of plants and sustainability of planting strategies. Could you tell us a little about how you deal with the threat of fire and how you manage your water supply?
In winter, the rain water runs into the stream which divides the garden into two parts. We try to keep and save this water for many useful things. For example, I hired a specialist to install metal gutters all around the roof — 600 m2 in total — of the publishing house. Because of the forest fires and the climate crisis, we have built three large steel and concrete cisterns. It makes us more resilient. Each cistern is built deep into the ground and is almost invisible. The quantity of water is 3 x 50.000 liters and they are all connected. If number 1 is full, we have an overflow to number 2 and so on...
We only use the water in emergencies - forest fires. This is a back-up against the fires. We do not use it to irrigate new trees or plants, or for permaculture to irrigate plants for our food. By "our" I mean the members of the cooperative.
We have survived five fires: 1991, 2003, 2004, 2016 and 2018. The 2018 fires destroyed 50% of our trees, but that also means we saved 50%. That prompted us to install a powerful sprinkler system. I took a blank piece of paper and a pen and designed the system. Then we talked about funding and we decided to do a crowdfunding campaign and we raised €8,045. A large part came from a member of the WWF in Berlin. Many small parts from subscribers, here 50 euros and there 100 euros, and then we had three people who were so curious about our idea that they sponsored it with 500 euros each. We are very pleased, happy. And then we started digging trenches by hand in the ground to hide the PVC water pipes. They are 40 cm deep. We built a bunker where we can stay and act during a fire with a distribution panel of taps and pump and we organised a total of nine K1 sprinklers. Each one has a pressure of 6-7 bars and throws water up to 30 metres.
We give free workshops to teach people how to install their own sprinkler system. We give back what we received from our backers.
What are your plans and wishes for the botanical garden in 2025? And how do you finance your further development?
This coming winter, until March, we are planting trees such as Monchique oaks and lindens, and we are planning an infrastructure investment: the main paths through the Botanical Garden will have a cobbled calçada, a bridge over the small river and a handrail. The area is steep and a handrail will help people to make their visit possible. They should have a safe walk down 200 metres and then back up again to the entrance. We are working with a class of children to create a Miyawaki forest on the last terrace downhill, where we can always guarantee groundwater and no irrigation is needed for the trees.
Since we receive no public money from Monchique or from the Portuguese government — not even a tribute —, and no subsidies or donations from the EU, we had the idea and the plan to give a 72-hour permaculture course to people from cities like Portimao, Faro and even Lisbon (March to May). And those who wish to produce their own food on our land can rent small plots of land on the terraces for 10 euros a month per 10 square metres. This idea should generate regular donations for several plots in the botanical garden, where we hope to raise awareness of how important good and clean food is for humanity, and how important forest gardens are for the climate. And everything we receive will always go back into the botanical garden.
We have a statute that clearly states, in black and white, that board members do not receive a salary or an honorarium. We are three board members and we do it for free.
In May 2026 we want to organise a month-long sculpture symposium with artists from four countries. We need to finance the stones, marble, granite and olive wood, and the works of art will be permanently exhibited in the botanical garden among the trees. We think that culture and nature need to go hand in hand and only in this way can we stop the fires and raise awareness for diverse forests and for biodiversity.
I have lived in Monchique for 35 years, more than half my life. Many times I thought I would have to leave Portugal because there is no respect for nature, no respect for the native forests. Only money counts. That is why Portugal has been commercialising its forests for the paper industry for two generations. With the Botanical Garden, I hope to give something back to the land and the people, especially to the next generations.
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Learn more about the Jardim Botânico Caldas de Monchique on Eco123 →