On the morning of 11 July 2022, we were sitting at one of our weekly volunteer meetings used to discuss what we set out to achieve over the next week, but this one was different - it had an undertone of urgency - The reality of the fires that were ravaging Portugal had caught up with us - the closest blaze just 30km away from the land - This day we were to discuss emergency escape strategies - there was complete silence amongst the group as we listened and digested the information that was being relayed.

We were told that in the eventuality that the fire would reach the land we would be alerted by a repetitive car horn and in that moment decide whether to - 1) muster at the highest point of the property which had been cleared from anything flammable and wait (to be safe from a super fire you need to be approx. 200m away from it however the potential risk of lack of oxygen remains) or 2) jump into the cars and drive to the nearest safe haven and hope to beat the speed of the flames - both options carry their own risks, especially when considering that 62 people died in the area during the 2017 fires. You may be wondering - why not leave? Save yourselves? The feeling of self preservation definitely took hold at some point but there was a stronger overriding feeling - the sense of collective purpose - 'common-unity' - a special unifying energy that motivated us to stay and collectively work towards ensuring that all the hard work dedicated towards reversing the effects of monoculture in the area, be sustained. Luckily, the fires in the area were eventually controlled and we did not have to live out the hypothetical yet very real scenario.

This is not the first time that the land has been at risk and it won't be the last. With the rise in temperatures, Portugal, as many other parts of the world, is at an increased risk of drought and vulnerable to more fires. In fact, this year Portugal is experiencing the worst drought in recorded history - so much so that, at the end of June more than a quarter of the mainland was in extreme drought and the rest in severe or moderate drought. Furthermore, at the end of July, only 5 of the 60 monitored reservoirs had water availability at 80% of the total volume and 26 with less than 40% (Drought worsens in Portugal - The Portugal News). This situation has been perpetuated by the lack of biodiversity due to the monoculture planting of the highly flammable Eucalyptus, Pine and the invasive Mimosa Five years on from wildfire tragedy, Portugal again at mercy of heat and drought | Reuters

It's been almost a year since Xavier and Arantxa left the comfort of their Gozo life to dive into an off grid setting and to start up the 'Libelinha Venture' - a Rewilding project in the area of Figueiró Dos Vinhos,

Portugal (Learn about their story @www.rewildthefuture.com/post/double-page-spread-in-the-malta-independent) - Their aim to regenerate the land and to build an educational community off-grid. With the help of volunteers and a crowdfunding campaign they've managed to achieve the following:

-        Clearing out of over 4 1/2 hectares of fire-damaged forest, burying all biomass to trap the carbon.

-        Setting up of a 'ground-up' forest management plan which introduced a system of syntropic agro forestry of 250m - with its focus on biodiversity, introducing strata levels found in a natural forest that increase the planting density of trees.

-        Implementation of terraces and natural reservoirs that fill up with rainwater runoff, soak-away pools to manage the excess water during heavy rains, and swales to slow the progress of water from the hillside and dramatically increase ground water to benefit planted trees.

-        Planted 6000 donated trees including indigenous cork oak, english oak & pine nut trees.

-        Built the Tartaruga Dome for the 'Montessori in Nature' which is the first stage towards building the alternative education hub.

-        Built an outdoor communal kitchen which will cater for future volunteers and groups that participate in rewilding.

Truth be told, the time on the land hasn't been anywhere short of challenges. First up, moving off grid comes with its own difficulties especially if you're moving to a space which is bare from any form of dwellings and usable structures.

Secondly, there is no form of income in a project like this and it requires a lot of energy and resources (human and material) on a daily basis - thankfully, so far, it has had the backing of personal funds and the generosity of family and public donations. However there is a long way to go and the drought has added a huge stumbling block to the progress of the project.

The lack of rain means that the planted trees are not getting the water they need to root themselves into the ground and a lot of them are dying - This has been extremely heartbreaking to witness after all the funds allocated towards land regeneration, not to mention the thousands of hours from dedicated volunteers towards planting and sustaining them. We have now reached a point where we are reluctant to continue planting trees until we have resolved the issue of getting them water.

Personal and crowd-funding funds have now run dry. So we are reaching out for the public's help once again. We urgently need to install a high volume solar water pump and the auxiliary parts so as to be able to pump water from our water source at the very bottom of the land to the top of the valley. This will serve to kick-start the process of the micro water cycle ensuring that the newly planted trees flourish as well as nourishing the soil micro-organisms so they can continue their role of giving nutrients to plants to grow. On top of this, the pump will enable us to keep our reservoirs full and accessible in case we face future forest fires.

The Libelhina team are asking for your support and inviting you on this journey to "Rewild the Future, starting from just €10 through the 'Go Fund Me' campaign which can be accessed via https://gofund.me/a198365c . By getting involved, you can support a project whose mission is to transition from a mindset of consumption and ultimately exploitation to sustainability.

Tier 1 - The installation of the water pump is our primary goal and will incur a total of €6,650 covering the costs of:

●          Solar Water Pump Kit

●          Pipes and fitting

●          Permits & Installation

Once we have reached our primary goal, the next steps would be to collect donations for :

Tier 2 - Installation of an irrigation & fire protection system which will incur a total of €5,800 including:

●          Pipes & fittings

●          Fire fighting system

●          Installation

Tier 3 - Water storage which will incur a total of €16,755 including costs for the construction of a 20,000 liters water storage tank, lining and completion of 3 reservoirs giving us a total water storage capacity of 1/2 million liters of water:

●          Clay lining

●          Compactor

●          Water tank

●          Labor

●          Earthmoving

●          Fuel

Any funds you can dedicate towards helping us and the land reach our goals would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message - For more information, you can visit www.rewildingthefuture.com.

Annika Gollcher, a volunteer from Malta