The Gardens of Campo Alegre were brought to life with a new collection of plants and trees

The new Parque Botânico of Campo Alegre encompasses an area of circa 13 hectares, as it currently incorporates the gardens of the faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) and the garden of the Primo Madeira house and the Jardim Botânico of the University of Porto, as well. This new project was coordinated by FCUP, under the scientific guidance of Paulo Farinha Marques, director of the Jardim Botânico do Porto and professor at FCUP. Thus, Porto offers a new green area, full of trees and several species of flowers.

Besides the Jardim Botânico, the Parque Botânico of Campo Alegre includes several garden areas within FCUP: the Jardim Silvestre, the Jardim Mediterrânico, the Jardim do Fosso and the Pinhal dos Cedros; also relevant are the gardens of the Casa Primo Madeira and the garden Burmester, that are the property of the University of Porto.

“We wish to make this university centre the first element of meaning regarding a botanic park that may extend to the Faculty of Arts and Architecture”, explains Paulo Farinha Marques, to UP News Portal, adding that “there were activities such as the planting of indigenous tree species, the eradication of invasive species, the application of signposts and the establishment of procedures for the maintenance of green areas”.

In total, there are circa 500 identified species that integrate the green areas at the Faculty of Sciences, and another 1500 that integrate the Jardim Botânico. These spaces are now filled with new collections, as is the case, for example, of the Jardim Silvestre, in the enveloping area of the FCUP’s Biology building, the Pinhal dos Cedros, next to the department of Mathematics, that display a new collection of camellias.

In turn, the Jardim Mediterrânico, in front of the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences of the University of Porto, features carob trees, laurel, and fig trees, alongside olive and apple trees.

The project also targeted the assessment of trees at risk, at the Jardim Burmester, with the planting of new trees and plants and the eradication of invasive species, as well.

Each of the gardens at FCUP now offers informative signposting and, soon, there will be plates to identify the species. The project was carried out in the end of 2020 and it was 95% funded by the Environmental Fund, in the amount of 63.510 euros, and 5% was funded by FCUP.