Protected Landscape, Azibo

The protected landscape of the Azibo Albufeira, located almost entirely in the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros, covers the parishes of Vale da Porca, Santa Combinha, Podence, Salselas, Vale de Prados and also the parish of Quintela de Lampaças in the county of Bragança.

The Azibo reservoir, formed by three water lines – the Azibo River (13 km), the Azibeiro River (7.3 km) and the Reguengo River (7.8 Km) – forms part of the Sabor river basin and this, in turn, of that of the river Douro.

Characterization – natural values
The Azibo Protected Landscape of Albufeira, partly included in the “Morais” site [PDF 190 KB] of the Natura 2000 Network, constitutes an interesting mixture of Mediterranean and Atlantic flora. Thus, together with the Quercus faginea oak and the Castanea sativa chestnut trees, which cohabit with areas of lick, the olive tree Olea europaea, the vineyard and Quercus suber cork oak appears, in a mosaic valued by weaker and rarer vegetation in which stands out ten and half of species of spontaneous orchids.

The construction of the dam – with the objective of agricultural irrigation (5,000 ha in the Macedo de Cavaleiros valley) and home supply – which originated the Azibo reservoir (410 ha) dates back to the end of the 1970s, XX. However, this mass of water made possible the presence of several species of birds that made this nesting and refuge area, namely the Podiceps cristatus, ex-libris of this Protected Area.

Activities
An easily accessible area, Azibo is visited by students and pupils from schools in the localities, especially focusing on the observation of flora and bird life. The two river beaches make the reservoir a popular summer destination. The pedestrian paths are signposted and there are specially located places for better observation and enjoyment of the landscape.

Source: ICNF

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