Man has always exploited his resources (timber, game, horses and cork) and transformed the spaces for agriculture and livestock, even with degrading interventions (deforestation, selective cutting and use of fire), which have created imbalances resulting in the impoverishment or disappearance of living species. As a landscape complex in which several inter-related ecosystems coexist, the modification of only one could compromise everything. Today, local communities are working to identify strategies for the protection and enhancement of ecological diversity and rare species, safeguarding traditional human activities within a balanced and environmentally friendly use.
This philosophy is also supported by the European Union with the “Habitat” and “Birds” directives, with the establishment of the “Natura 2000” network and with the recognition of a Site of Community Importance (SIC).