Reviving Monastic Water Management to Safeguard Environmental and Cultural Heritage in Alferrara, Portugal

As climate change exacerbates water scarcity across the world, the study of historic water management systems has been offering promising solutions that actively preserve environmental and cultural livelihoods. I will contribute to this growing body of research by studying the ruins of two interlinked monastic hydraulic systems in Alferrara, Portugal. These monastic communities relied on sophisticated water management strategies to maintain self-sufficient lifestyles between the 14th to 19th centuries. The systems supported dispersed cooling huts, fountains, and irrigation tanks through mines and channels that provided water for drinking and washing while also nourishing terraced gardens, which were a key source of medicinal knowledge in the region. The research objectives are to: 1) investigate the functioning of these two hydraulic systems from their monastic origins to the present, 2) digitally survey and virtually reconstruct the remaining ruins using precise, non-invasive methods and 3) utilize this reconstruction as an interdisciplinary knowledge platform to simulate water flow scenarios and to contribute to ongoing revitalization efforts. This research will expand the understanding of Portugal's monastic hydraulic heritage, a field still in its early stages, by fostering collaboration among conservation architects, archaeologists, hydrologists, geographic engineers, and historians. A final non-academic placement within the regional government will culminate in a revitalization plan for these systems helping to develop the presently untapped water source into new cultural programs such as educational spaces, medicinal gardens, agricultural initiatives, and public reservoirs that echo the monastic community's former role in serving the local population.