Funchal Ecological Park

Funchal Ecological Park is a natural area managed by the Municipality of Funchal in the parish of Monte, about 12 kilometres from the city centre. It covers roughly eight square kilometres of mountainside, from 470 metres above sea level at its southern edge up to 1,818 metres at Pico do Areeiro. The land was bought by the city council in 1918, when it was known as Montado do Barreiro, to secure the springs that supplied Funchal with water, and the ecological park project began in 1994.

Since then the park has pursued nature conservation and environmental education together. Its work includes reintroducing threatened species, monitoring flora and fauna and controlling invasive plants such as acacia, gorse and broom, in partnership with researchers and non-governmental organisations. Large wildfires in 2010 and 2016 burned much of the property, and reforestation with native species continues with the help of schools, companies and local people. A nursery of indigenous and endemic plants, which can be visited, grows the trees used for planting.

The Reception Centre on Regional Road 103, at Ribeira das Cales, organises activities for school groups and the general public, including themed walks, orienteering with a map, team games and tree planting. Visitors also come for hiking, mountain biking, canyoning, birdwatching and free flight, and to see the Poço da Neve, an igloo-shaped store once used to keep snow and hail for the city's hotels and hospitals. The Pico Alto viewpoint, inside the park, looks over Funchal and its bay.

The park can be reached by car along Regional Road 103 from Monte, and interurban buses from Funchal pass the Reception Centre. The gates close in bad weather, and conditions at altitude can be very different from those on the coast, so warm clothing and proper footwear are advisable.