Loendros Botanical Reserve

Category: Nature > Reserva natural

District: Viseu > Vouzela > Campia > Cambarinho

Location

The Loendros Botanical Reserve is located on the northern slope of the Serra do Caramulo, within the Cambarinho area, in the locality of Campia, belonging to the municipality of Vouzela. This natural area extends through a mountainous landscape, with altitudes ranging between 400 and 850 meters. Its extension covers a significant portion of the Cambarinho stream's hydrographic basin, which is a tributary of the Alfusqueiro river, contributing to the region's hydrological and biological richness.

The Important Botanical Heritage

The heart of the Loendros Botanical Reserve lies in its remarkable concentration of Rhododendron ponticum L, SSP Baeticum, popularly known as rhododendron. This site is recognized as the most significant occurrence of this species in Portugal, having been classified as a Botanical Reserve since 1971. The presence of the rhododendrons is particularly significant, as they represent a rare botanical vestige of the Tertiary Era, offering a direct link to distant geological periods. These shrubs thrive spontaneously, especially along the banks of the Alfusqueiro and Alcofra rivers, forming clusters of great natural beauty.

Natural Environment and Resilience

The Reserve's protected area, which extends for about 24 hectares, features a natural environment shaped by granite soils, where rocks and outcrops are a constant in the landscape. The region's climate has Atlantic characteristics, registering high annual rainfall indices, which favors the development of diverse flora. Although scrubland vegetation predominates, the Reserve also shelters patches of pine forest, oak forest areas, traditional agricultural zones, and the dense riparian gallery that accompanies the Cambarinho stream. In addition to the rhododendrons, holly is another protected species that grows spontaneously in this area, notable for its pointed leaves and vibrant red berries. Despite facing a significant challenge in 2017, with a fire in the Serra do Caramulo that affected its vegetation, the Loendros Botanical Reserve remains a testament to nature's capacity for regeneration and a site of ecological interest.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt