It is not unlikely that we will find sheep grazing in a park in Lisbon in the coming months. Through the project Life Lungs, which is part of the Lisbon City Hall and counts on European funds, a flock from the Quinta Pedagógica dos Olivais will graze in the middle of the city to adapt to climate change. The first grazing took place in Bela Vista Park.
According to the Life Lungs website, the initiative "aims to maintain a flock of sheep as a natural (non-mechanical) agent in controlling vegetation and improving soil quality". The grazing of animals in green areas such as Bela Vista, "in addition to reducing the human effort and energy consumption associated with traditional mowing, it also contributes to enhancing the ecosystem services of pastures. The use of the herd allows for an increase in soil organic matter, increasing its relative humidity, thus contributing to soil stabilization and erosion rate control."
On December 18, 23 sheep visited the Bela Vista Park in the first of 14 outings of the flock that are planned until May 2021. The exits will not necessarily always be to the same place, being planned to transport the sheep to other areas with meadows, including the park of Alto da Ajuda. "The daily management of the herd in a public space requires a specialized shepherd service that also provides information about the project and importance and advantages of using the herd in green spaces"You can read about it on the initiative's website.
The Life Lungs project was the first Life project won by the Lisbon City Council and has a funding of 2.7 million euros (55% of EU funding) for actions until 2024. The goal is to continue to maintain and grow the city's green structures (parks, gardens, vegetable gardens, and meadows) as ways to mitigate heat waves and water shortages that are projected for the near future, making the city more resilient to rising temperatures and enhancing carbon sink capacity.
By 2024, the Life Lungs team plans to make 240,000 plantings; from September 2019 to date, it has planted a total of 35,201 trees and shrubs in Lisbon, corresponding to 2.6 hectares of green masswhich is watered periodically. The initiatives under the Life Lungs initiative can be followed on the website life-lungs.lisboa.pt.
