Protecting and regenerating ecosystems by empowering people and engaging communities

Mud Valley Institute is a regenerative education and action focused nonprofit located near Lagos, 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 Institute 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.

Mud Valley Institute is operated as an activity of Fundação Abraço Fraterno, a Portuguese registered nonprofit.

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 Institute engages in a variety of regenerative education activities to reduce the impact of climate change and human action in our local bioregion.