Paúl da Gouxa is a low peatland forest located 103 km northeast of Lisbon (Portugal). Paúl da Gouxa is a wetland of inland waters, with a low peatland, swampy willow groves and reeds. In August 2023, it was declared a natural reserve. Paúl da Gouxa is an area of private domain, whose current owners are the local municipality of Alpiarça and Quinta da Atela.

Land use is quite restricted because it is in the Public Water Domain, which means that any activity related to water use requires institutional authorisation. The area was used for agriculture (abandoned rice and corn fields in 1975), sheep/cattle grazing, and extraction of inert materials (which ceased in 2000 at the initiative of the municipality of Alpiarça).

The primary focus of this OL is to explore alternative management practices within the Paul da Gouxa nature reserve, where 75% of the land is privately owned. The study will investigate the trade-offs between designating the site solely as a nature reserve, restoring agricultural fields that are still in use, or maintaining the area for agricultural purposes.

Given the region’s drought-prone climate, it is also essential to assess the potential impacts of interventions such as cutting or over-rewetting during summer months. These management decisions will be evaluated in terms of their effects on greenhouse gas fluxes, soil and water chemistry, and local biodiversity, particularly focusing on bird populations.