THE SITE
Herdade da Pangea is a thousand acre estate in Alentejo, in the heart of Portugal.
Elephants rehomed to this expansive, natural habitat will be able to roam freely, forage naturally and socialise as they please. Our plans to restore the natural health of the land will benefit both elephants and the diversity of local wildlife
The next phase of development is within our reach.
Find out how you can help us below.
A Europe-wide study was conducted to identify the most suitable region for Pangea’s operations. Portugal was chosen based on its Mediterranean climate* and associated habitat, availability of sizeable estates, and political stability. Over 90 properties were considered and the site was chosen following completion of the environmental screening studies, valuations and government consultations.
*Within historic times African and Asian elephants once lived at the southern and eastern margins of the Mediterranean.
The diverse habitats – ranging from grasslands through to scrub and woodland – will be managed to encourage native fauna and flora. Areas impoverished by livestock grazing and eucalyptus cultivation will be renewed through nurturing the soil, water and air, so that wild flora and fauna, as well as the elephants, can thrive.
There is abundant water, important for elephant bathing and drinking as well as sustaining native fauna and flora. There are two large and two small dams, fed by a natural spring and stream.
Threatened species are known to occur in the area and could be encouraged to return to the estate. These include the Lataste’s viper, European wildcat, cinereas vulture, and fan-lipped orchid, pictured here. Key stands of cork and holm oak will be protected from elephant damage.
Herdade da Pangea is located outside Portugal’s designated protected areas, which means there are fewer restrictions on bringing elephants to the site and on construction of elephant care facilities. It is also in an area of low wildfire risk.
Existing infrastructure provides a good basis to start operations. Emergency rescues could be accommodated with some modification. Interior roads are in excellent condition, there are no public roads on the boundary of the property, and there is mains electricity supply to all key hubs.
The Portuguese environmental, wildlife, and municipal authorities have been fully consulted and have since provided their in-principle support. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) is now underway to support the licence applications for construction and other operations.
The purchase of Herdade da Pangea has been made possible thanks to an interest-free philanthropic loan from Julia Davies of We Have The POWER. Julia uses her personal funds to enable charitable projects (including land acquisitions for nature restoration) to progress. We can’t progress work on the site or rehoming elephants until the loan is repaid, and equally Julia can’t support the many projects which contact her weekly until her commitment to this project is substantially reduced.
You can donate securely online here, or go to this section for other ways to donate.
Please email kate@pangeatrust.org if you have any questions or would like more information.
Thank you so much for your support.
