The public company managing the monuments and historic parks of Sintra, since it was declared a World Heritage Site, announced the reopening of the Estrada dos Capuchos and the road linking Pé da Serra to the Capuchos intersection, enabling the reopening of the monument.
The Convent of the Capuchos, founded in 1560 in the heart of the Sintra mountains in the Lisbon district, was closed on March 19 following the passage of depression Martinho, which caused significant damage, particularly around the forest perimeter.
Other routes “remain heavily restricted and closed due to ongoing work by Parques de Sintra and the Sintra Municipal Council,” the statement noted.
Parques de Sintra-Monte da Lua reported that it has already collected and removed over three million kilos of wood from areas affected by depression Martinho, a climactic event that had an unprecedented and significant impact on the region.
The company is conducting a “phased recovery project for forest areas that suffered damage,” expecting this work to continue over the next two years, with an investment of approximately three million euros.
Simultaneously, Parques de Sintra-Monte da Lua is developing “a plan to mitigate the erosive effects” caused by depression Martinho and “the reforestation of affected areas,” prioritizing the planting of native species.
On the night of March 19 to 20, the passage of depression Martinho through the Sintra mountains caused the fall of about 100,000 trees, affecting 280 hectares of the approximately 1,000 hectares under the company’s management.
On April 10, the municipality announced that access to the forest perimeter of the mountains would be closed “indefinitely” and “for safety reasons.”
