Montesinho

Montesinho Natural Park was formally established on 30 August 1979 at the north-eastern tip of Portugal, in Trás-os-Montes, beside the Zamora border, and protects some 745 km².

The landscape is characterised by its plainness: gentle relief of rounded hills separated by the incised valleys of rivers such as the Sabor, the Maçãs and the Baceiro. Geologically, schist predominates, with patches of limestone in the plateau areas and granite in the Montesinho range. The vegetation combines Pyrenean oak woodland, chestnut groves, heather and rockrose scrub, and the lameiros, traditionally irrigated hay and grazing meadows that constitute an agro-ecosystem of great value.

It is one of the principal territories of the Iberian wolf in Portugal, with stable packs, and holds roe deer, wild boar, wildcat and a birdlife that includes golden eagle, black stork and Egyptian vulture. The district also preserves a distinctive ethnographic heritage, with villages of communal organisation where the communal oven, mill and bull have survived, and winter mask traditions. Since 9 June 2015 the park has formed part of the Meseta Ibérica Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, the largest transboundary reserve in Europe.