Opening pathsinto the future.

Become a Member

Our Raison d'être

Veredas da Estrela* is a community association, founded after the 2022 wildfires that devastated 25% of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park in Central Portugal. We are based in the mountain villages of Figueiró da Serra and Freixo da Serra.

We want to create living communities and ecosystems more resilient to forest fires, and thus prepare our villages for the future while being an example for others.

Do you want to help us prevent fires and restore ecosystems? Come and participate in one of our next actions! Or become a member of Veredas da Estrela.

*Literally: paths of Estrela. Veredas, locally called bredas, are trails, created and used by human and/or wildlife. The designation originates from proto-celtic uɸorēdos, with manifold derivations in European languages.

Our Motivation

Our goals

Activities 2023 (Portuguese)
Hand holding a tree
Preserve & regenerate
Ecosystem preservation

We want to preserve and regenerate ecosystems in the territories of Figueiró and Freixo da Serra and in the Serra da Estrela.

team
Prevention & intervention
Fire prevention

We want to improve prevention and first intervention in the event of forest fires.

Constituting Assembly of the Veredas association
Community building
Lively villages

We want to carry out activities that contribute to making the villages and communities even more alive.

Serra da Estrela, local Bordaleira sheep
Sustainable grazing
Traditional sheep-farming

For sustainable land management, we want to encourage and stimulate the traditional extensive agro-silva-pastoral activity.

OurOrganization

  1. Board of
    Directors
  2. General
    Assembly
  3. Supervisory
    Board
  4. Council

  1. General board

    President

    Corinna Lawrenz

    Vice-president

    Pedro Faustinho

    Treasurer

    Carl Jones

    Territory

    Júlio Cardoso

    Culture & community

    Rafaela Mapril

    Youth

    Paula Tomé

    Communication

    Nik Völker

     

     

  2. General Assembly

    President

    Tiago Coelho

    Vice-president

    Pavel Vulfin

    Secretary

    Daniel Paiva

  3. Supervisory board

    President

    Susana Cabral

    Rapporteur

    Pavel Vulfin

    Speaker

    Paulo Cavacas

  4. Council

    Apart from complying with the mandatory board compositions, Veredas nominates technical and scientific advisors that inform the decisions of the general board with their knowledge and expertise.
    Territory & culture,
    Freixo da Serra

    Arménio Teixeira

    Territory & culture,
    Figueiró da Serra

    Manuel Ferreira

Veredas in the media

Reportagem Beira Alta TV
30.7.2023
July 2023

Beira Alta TV visited us for the traditinal summer rye harvest, sown at one of the interventions zones affected by the 2022 wilfire.

team
13.5.2023
May 2023

The Biosfera programme of RTP visited Videmonte, Manteigas, and Figueiró & Freixo for a piece on "Communities and Sustainability" in the Serra da Estrela.

Hand holding a tree
22.4.2023
April 2023

The news team of SIC visited Figueiró and Freixo to produce their "Springs of Life" news story on the work of Veredas da Estrela and some of our neighbours.

Join us on our path

Below we have listed some ways of supporting our work as a non-profit community association as a company or as an individual.

Be a member

Join us as a neighbour or from abroad! Fill out the membership form and you may not only work with us but you'll also be invited to working groups and assemblies.

Be a volunteer

Keen to get your hands dirty? Join our events or community actions in the Natural Park of Serra da Estrela. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates.

Team building

Want to get your team involved in hands-on ecosystem restoration and have a unique experience with options of hiking, swimming, or food tasting in the mountains? Get in touch!

Make a donation

Support us with a one-time donation. You may transfer to IBAN PT50 0007 0000 0064 8865 1082 3 or via MB WAY 926910673. For a receipt please send us your details.

1% FOR THE PLANET

Veredas da Estrela is part of the One Percent for the Planet initiative, a platform that allows companies to donate 1% of their annual sales to vetted environmental partners. Supporters of the platform can select which organisation they wish to donate to. The profile of Veredas da Estrela is available here.

Get in touch

Veredas da Estrela Association for the Future of the Communities of Figueiró da Serra & Freixo da Serra

Rua da Portela s/n, 6290-071 Figueiró da Serra, Gouveia

NIPC PT517266431

ola@veredasdaestrela.pt

Any questions or curiosities? Please get in touch with us by email or by joining one of our activities. Upcoming events will be posted on our Facebook page and for the bigger picture, a yearly calendar is available through our Activities Plan (Portuguese).

You can consult the § articles of our association here (Portuguese).

And, of course, we invite you to become a member of Veredas!

© Veredas da Estrela 2025