Zoomarine Algarve, in partnership with Nativawaky, held another edition of the “One School, One Forest” programme, which led to the creation of a Miyawaki mini-forest at Escola Básica João de Deus in Messines, Faro.

The initiative, part of Operação Montanha Verde 2025, involved more than 70 pupils and teachers, aiming to raise awareness within the school community about the importance of regenerating local ecosystems and protecting the environment.

Covering an area of 140 m², the new mini-forest includes 420 plants from 28 native species, planted by pupils with the support of Zoomarine’s conservation and education teams and Nativawaky.
The activity also featured educational and hands-on workshops, such as making seed bombs (as part of the EDUCAR project), along with learning moments about the role of forests in soil protection and combating climate change.

“The creation of these mini-forests is a way of bringing environmental education directly to schools, showing children that every small action can have a real impact on the planet’s regeneration. We want them to feel proud of caring for their territory and to become ambassadors for nature within their communities,” said Hugo Brites, Marketing and Communications Director at Zoomarine.

Since its launch in 2017, Operação Montanha Verde has mobilized hundreds of volunteers and resulted in the planting of over 126,000 native trees and shrubs across several municipalities in the Algarve.
In 2024, the partnership with Nativawaky gave the initiative fresh momentum by introducing the Japanese Miyawaki method, which recreates native ecosystems capable of growing ten times faster, becoming thirty times denser and hosting a hundred times more biodiversity, while becoming self-sustaining within just three years.

Operação Montanha Verde 2025 also had the support of the Silves School Group and the São Bartolomeu de Messines local council. The event finished with a group photo and the symbolic launch of the seed bombs.

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