Slow Tourism in Low-Density Territories

This research focuses on slow tourism in low-density areas of Beiras and Serra da Estrela, Portugal, and explores how these genuine and authentic spaces can become attractive for tourism development. Compared to visitors who travel to a destination to visit as many attractions as possible in the shortest time, slow tourists refuse to be treated as a number and seek to receive from and give to their destination in the same proportion. Their involvement in a host community, practiced in a personalized, deep, and informed way, contributes to their well-being. The community's inhabitants recognize that their cultural identity is valued, feel motivated to serve as ambassadors, and note that tourist activities can lead to improvements in their quality of life. This research includes the results of interviews, a benchmarking in Italy, and an analysis of a village tourism. The findings reveal the opportunities they hold for slow tourism, with very positive effects for local development.

Fluvial Resources and Recreational and Sports Activities

This research aims to reflect on the importance of inland surface waters for the development of local communities and their potential to foster tourism and leisure activities, promoting differentiated tourism products that project this inland tourist destination. It seeks to inquire into new business opportunities, while simultaneously reflecting on ways of controlling uses and issues of preservation and environmental sustainability. The study is developed in the Serra da Estrela territory, framing the destination and establishing an approach to the evolution of recreational fishing and its contributions to the strengthening of tourism and leisure, given the exceptional conditions of water mass supply and its environmental value for an activity that has an intense relationship with nature. The purpose is also to establish lines of research to be followed and methodologies to be implemented for a better knowledge of this activity and identify action strategies for the future.

The Contribution of UNESCO Global Geoparks in the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism

The Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark, which encompasses the highest mountain in mainland Portugal, is a geographically defined territory with resources of notorious geological interest, with precious ecosystems, identity, and ways of life. Its geodiversity, associated with traces of glacial origin, the richness of its natural and cultural heritage, make this a unique territory, whose structured approach will strengthen its knowledge, the importance of its functions, and its tourist, heritage, and cultural potential. The Estrela UGGp has the mission of contributing to the protection, valorisation, and dynamics of the natural and cultural heritage, with special emphasis on geological heritage, with a view of disseminating scientific knowledge, promoting tourism and the sustainable development of serra da Estrela. Overall, the Estrela UGGp fosters the development of an integrated development strategy, combined with geoconservation, education, and tourism, supporting the construction of development strategies for the well-being of the community.

Collaborative Strategies and Tourist Competitiveness in Medium Mountain Destinations: Study on the Positioning of Tourist Actors in the Natural Park of Serra da Estrela

The tourism sector, due to its specificities, is one area of economic activity where collaborative strategies can most contribute to increasing productivity and competitiveness. The need for immediate responses to customer interests and requirements has led companies to become more proactive, which in turn leads to the pursuit of external collaboration to develop business networks that increase business dynamism and the operational flexibility of partners. Encouraging collaboration lies in the pressures brought on by globalization and increased competitiveness, supported by the development of information and communications technologies. Collaboration promoting strategic and organizational alignments in the field of tourism is revealed to be decisive for the qualification and sustainability of destinations, promoting new markets, and facilitating synergies of larger dynamism between companies. Serra da Estrela corresponds to a medium mountain destination, classified as a UNESCO World Geopark, where the development of collaborative relationships is valued as a resource for businesses and as expanding the offer of tourist products, as well as a source of competitive advantage.

Evaluation of Species Invasiveness: A Case Study with Acacia dealbata Link. on the Slopes of Cabeça (Seia-Portugal)

One of the main causes of biodiversity loss in the world is the uncontrolled expansion of invasive plants. According to the edaphoclimatic conditions of each region, plants acquire different invasion behaviors. Thus, to better understand the expansion of invasive plants with radial growth, it is proposed to use two equations, the Annual Linear Increment (ALI) and the Annual Invasiveness Rate (AIR). These equations are applied using spatiotemporal data obtained from the analysis of orthophotomaps referring populations of Acacia dealbata Link. in areas located in Serra da Estrela, Portugal. As a result, the area occupied by this species in the parish of Cabeça was evaluated and a 20-year projection was carried out. The data produced by these equations contributed to improving the knowledge about the invasion behavior of exotic species in a rigorous and detailed way according to local ecological conditions. This study may serve as the basis for the application of other similar situations concerning invasive species in other territories, to improve the efficiency of future projections for these species. Local technical and scientific knowledge will contribute to improving spatial and management planning, enabling a better adequacy and effectiveness of the control measures to be adopted.

Serra da Estrela PDO Cheese Microbiome as Revealed by Next Generation Sequencing

Serra da Estrela PDO cheese is the oldest traditional cheese manufactured in Portugal. In this work, its microbiome as well as the main raw materials used in cheese production, raw ewes’ milk and thistle flowers (Cynara cardunculus L.), were characterized using next generation sequencing. Samples were accordingly retrieved from a local producer over two consecutive production campaigns and at different time periods within each campaign. The bacterial and fungi communities associated with each matrix were accessed through sequencing of V3−V4 and Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 regions of rRNA gene amplicons, respectively. A high microbial diversity was found associated to each matrix, differing significantly (p < 0.05) from each other. Over 500 taxa were identified in each analyzed matrix, ranging from dominant (relative abundance > 1%), sub-dominant (0.01−1%) and rare taxa (<0.01%). Specifically, in cheese, 30 taxa were present in all analyzed samples (core taxa), including species of Leuconostoc spp. and Lactococcus spp. for bacteria and Candida spp., Debaryomyces spp. and Yarrowia spp. for fungi, that were cumulatively the most prevalent genera in Serra da Estrela PDO cheese (average relative abundance ≥10%). Ultimately, this characterization study may contribute to a better understanding of the microbial dynamics of this traditional PDO product, namely the influence of raw materials on cheese microbiome, and could assist producers interested in preserving the identity, quality and safety of Serra da Estrela PDO cheese.

Energy Recovery of Shrub Species as a Path to Reduce the Risk of Occurrence of Rural Fires: A Case Study in Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal)

The accumulation of biomass fuels resulting from the growth of heliophilous shrubs and small tree species at the edge of forests and on scrub and pasture lands contributes to the increased risk of rural fires in Mediterranean climate regions. This situation has been managed with a set of legislative measures launched with the objective of promoting cleaning and the control of these species. Areas of scrub and pasture already constitute the largest part of the annually burnt area in Portugal, resulting in high-intensity fires. In the present study, shrubs and small tree species were characterized in the laboratory. Thermogravimetric, chemical and calorimetric analyses for the evaluation of the potential for the energy recovery of the selected species were carried out. It was observed that energetic valorization (i.e., to enhance the value by planned actions) of these species is difficult because they present high levels of ash and metals, becoming prone to the occurrence of fouling and slagging phenomena. Thus, the creation of value chains that justify the incorporation of these materials becomes very difficult, except if used in non-certified, small-scale and locally based processes. The possibility of recovery through thermochemical conversion processes, such as torrefaction, pyrolysis or gasification, must be studied so that more efficient and feasible recovery alternatives can be found, allowing for the creation of value chains for these residual materials to promote their sustainable management and, thus, mitigate the risk of rural fires occurring.