Who we are and what we do
Ecosystem restoration education and action to improve our bioregion.
Mud Valley Foundation is a nonprofit focused on education and action-oriented initiatives for ecosystem restoration and bioregional unity in southwestern Portugal. We work to reverse the effects of desertification in our local ecosystem to assure improved soil quality, water availability, biodiversity, and local livelihoods. Mud Valley Foundation is a part of a global network of ecosystem restoration communities engaged in regeneration efforts. We also support educational efforts in the areas of eco-social regeneration and ecosystem restoration.
Latest Updates and Blog Posts
Mud Valley Foundation Participates in Tree Planting in Lagos
Learn about our involvement in a community tree planting event on March 24, 2026.
What Environmental Conservation Really Means (And Why It’s Not Enough on Its Own)
Environmental conservation explained. Why protection alone isn’t enough and how regeneration restores ecosystems.
Soil Health Testing: 6 Key Indicators
Learn how soil health testing using 6 key indicators will help you understand your soil.
Visit our Blog page for all of our updates, program news, research, and other important information.
The problem
Our local ecosystem is being degraded by climate change and human actions.
Desertification is a growing problem in Mediterranean Europe, including the southwestern Algarve of Portugal, where arid and semi-arid regions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to and affected by soil degradation and loss of vegetation cover. Climate change, combined with unsustainable land use practices such as overgrazing, deforestation, intensive agriculture, and urban sprawl, is making the problem worse. Desertification has serious ecological, economic, and social consequences, including loss of biodiversity, reduced water availability and food security, and increased poverty and human migration.
Mud Valley Foundation engages in a variety of regenerative education activities to reduce the impact of climate change and human action in our local bioregion.
