On 20 and 21 May 2025, Ana Margarida Silva and Gabriel Lourenço, researchers from the Centre for Intercultural Studies (CEI), took part in the Cultural Ecosystem Services and Biocultural Heritage Congress – Connecting Nature and Culture for a Sustainable Future, at the University of Coimbra.
The congress was organised by JPI Climate and JPI Cultural Heritage with the Centre for Functional Ecology at the University of Coimbra, sponsored by the UNESCO MAB Programme. The event explored the vital intersections of cultural ecosystem services and biocultural heritage, promoting collaboration between the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.
Ana Margarida Silva and Gabriel Lourenço presented the paper ‘Reviving Heritage: Bridging Portugal’s Past and Future Through Culture and Nature’, exploring the importance of cultural rehabilitation projects in promoting the social, economic and sustainable development of local territories and communities. The presentation analysed two specific case studies of traditional Portuguese cultural heritage: rangers’ houses and primary schools – in two regions – Serra da Estrela and Sever do Vouga.