The montado is an agro-forestry-pastoral system managed at various levels – arboreal, shrubby and herbaceous – according to the potential of each region.
Man is an integral and fundamental part of this ecosystem. It was through his clearing action that montados were created, ever since he began to intervene in the natural environment that surrounded them. Human management is necessary, in a more or less intensive way, to maintain the montado. Without this intervention, the system naturally evolves into a forest-like formation, where man has difficulty obtaining resources.