Forestry Capability and Sustainability in the Monteiro-mor Ordinance of 1605 Study Area

Abstract

Forest areas played a vital role in Early Modern Age societies. To a large extent, the reason for the survival of the current forest cover lies in historical administration and decision-making. During the Early Modern Age the Portuguese Monarchy made decisions on the use, management and conservation of forest resources stemming from particular interests. This article carries out a quantitative evaluation of the forest resources, land capability and current land cover with regard to the management of the geographic space and protection of the forest area encompassed by the monteiro-mor ordinance of 1605. Our results show that the Portuguese used forest resources sustainably to address wood needs for shipbuilding during the Age of Discovery. The main idea is that the limits of the forest protection and management zones are in keeping with the territory's capacity, and the current land cover could be considered a result of historical forestry management.