Thinking of natural spaces as spaces for creation and artistic experience is the main objective of A Defesa da Natureza (The Defense of Nature). Developed by BoCA since 2021, this project brings local and artistic communities together, calling on them to contribute to a forest of works of art. After passing through Lisbon, Almada, Faro, Penafiel, and Braga, it debuts in Leiria in partnership with Zero.
Defesa da Natureza (Nature Conservation) has once again taken root, this time in the Leiria National Forest, through a planting initiative carried out on January 17, 2026. BoCA joined forces with ZERO – Sustainable Earth System Association to promote ecological restoration in two natural habitats of conservation priority — the dune zimbral and the faial-medronhal — in an area managed by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).
This action to plant native trees and shrubs contributes to the control of invasive alien species and the regeneration of local ecosystems. In collaboration with ZERO, 450 plants were planted, including dogwood, arbutus, aderno, folhada, and elderberry.
ON THE DEFENSE OF NATURE
A participatory project conceived ten years ago through which BoCA combines artistic creation and programming with the planting of trees in natural spaces. Created in 2021, “A Defesa da Natureza” (The Defense of Nature) comprises: on the one hand, the planting of native plant species in different municipalities across the country to build a “forest of works of art”; on the other hand, inviting artists from different artistic fields to create performances in natural spaces through the cycle “Quero Ver as Minhas Montanhas” (I Want to See My Mountains).
Based on the legacy of “7,000 Oaks” by Joseph Beuys, a key figure in ecological art, BoCA designs a sustainable plantation involving the collaboration of artists and the local population. By creating a direct correspondence between generating (natural) life and generating (artistic) life, each plantation establishes an integrated concept that unifies the natural and the artistic, in a combination of art and environment, biodiversity and sustainability.
