All Parts
Part II

Reading the Living Landscape

A property boundary exists on a map. A living system does not recognise it. Learning to read the landscape — its water, soil, vegetation, animals and wider context — is the foundation of everything that follows.

1

Learning to Read the Landscape

When we acquired Quinta Picapau, we studied the property without studying the surrounding landscape. In August 2018 that mistake cost us dearly. A property boundary exists on a map — a living system does not.

2

The Language of the Land

Nature is constantly communicating — through water, soil colour, animal behaviour, tree health and insect presence. Together these form the language of the living system.

3

Understanding Our Soils

Many terraces around Monchique contain Cambisol-type soils with good agricultural potential but a depleted living component. Our greatest opportunity is organic matter — rebuilding what was lost through years of intensive management.