Portugal's cork woodlands have been described as the Amazon of Europe. The Iberian Peninsula is home to some 42 species of birds that rely on the twisted cork oak forest for survival. The imperial eagle is among these animals. With just 130 pairs left in the world, it is seriously endangered and will, environmentalists fear, be pushed further towards extinction should this unique Portuguese landscape continue to come under fire. The threat to the region seems insignificant enough: a small plastic stopper used to plug bottles of wine. Yet in recent years this invention has garnered favour among wine retailers, including the leading supermarkets. They say it is preferable to the traditional cork because it is more hygienic and does not taint wine with fungal mould. Such comments have put the centuries-old practice of cork harvesting under pressure. In the rural Alentejo province, the cork economy supports entire families and towns, providing seasonal work for 16,000 people in one of Europe's poorest regions. The worldwide shift to plastic stoppers could, conservationists argue, destroy the area's economy as well as having a devastating effect on the wildlife. In a recently released report, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said that moves to replace cork with plastic could push species such as the black stork, Bonelli's eagle and the black kite to extinction. They say if the demand for cork stoppers continues to fall, Portuguese workers will be forced to move elsewhere in search of new livelihoods. In turn, the no-longer viable cork forests could be replaced by fast-growing eucalyptus plantations (used for paper and pulp products). These trees would, it is predicted, have a serious effect on the landscape because eucalyptus, unlike the cork oak, grows all year round. The region's thin soil would be sucked dry of nutrients by these new plantations, leaving the surrounding area arid and inhospitable for wildlife. The cork versus plastic controversy is an old one. With the popularity of wine growing substantially in the 1980s, supermarkets found that consumers returned a small percentage of bottles with an alleged cork taint. This smell, described as being like rotting vegetables or old socks, made supermarkets look for an alternative, ever keen to avoid problems with their products. The plastic stopper was seen by the retailers as the ideal substitute: cheap to produce and not plagued by the same fungus that produces cork taint. Companies like Supremecorq, in which Microsoft's Bill Gates has invested, began to gain ground with retailers. Today, some big supermarkets insist that their wine producers only use plastic corks. And in just five years since the launch of plastic plugs, their market share has risen to 7 per cent and, in some countries, it is as high as 30 per cent. The rise of the plastic stopper has caused serious concern in the Portuguese cork industry. Cork-makers say that allegations of cork taint are highly exaggerated, and that the supermarkets are engaged in a dirty tricks campaign against them. Portuguese environmentalists cite many examples of unjustified anti-cork claims made by retailers such as Marks and Spencer. This particular company told consumers it was opting for plastic corks because cork farming is unsustainable, as the oak trees needed to be cut down in order for their bark to be stripped. Helena Freitas, president of Portugal's leading green group Nature Conservation League, said: "Such claims are utterly false. Cork forestry is a centuries old practice that preserves and even enhances the environment."
In fact, this is one of the few economic activities taking place within nature that is actually good for it. Cork is harvested in a strict rotation cycle. Starting when a tree reaches its 25th year, its dead bark is stripped off every following nine to 12 years. Annually, between June and August, this outer layer is removed, leaving the inner bark exposed to the elements. This process can continue on a tree for more than a 100 years. An RSPB spokeswoman backs up the Portuguese claims: "Natural cork is a truly sustainable product that benefits people and wildlife, and it is an outrage that plastic stoppers are replacing it. We owe it to future generations to fight this shortsightedness." The fear that the plastic plug could one day entirely replace a way of life is palpable in Portugal itself. Politicians mutter darkly about smear campaigns against cork by the plastic lobby - claims that remain unproven. To counteract bad publicity, the cork industry conducted its own survey on cork taint. Independent laboratory tests carried out by Corkwise concluded that problems with cork taint occur only 0.5 per cent or less of the time. The cork producers also cited research which said that the plastic stoppers themselves have problems, with some causing wines to smell of Vaseline or wet paint. They also claim that plastic stoppers can result in problems with closure, including leaking bottles and increased cases of oxidisation - something disputed by the plastic manufacturers. More damning, however, was a study from the Australian Wine Research Institute which said plastic corks suck the flavours from a wine. But this body did emphasise, though, that there was no evidence of plastic causing any strange tastes. To reassure retailers about the quality of their product, the cork industry has spent an estimated £300 million overhauling their business in recent years. In an industry previously dominated by oldfashioned, low-tech practices, which were believed to contribute to the presence of the naturally-occurring fungus that causes cork taint, a code of practice was introduced. This changed the way in which the bark was cleaned, reducing the likelihood of the mould forming. Yet it is the Portuguese rural labourers, who annually strip the cork oaks (Quercussuber), who are being hardest hit by the controversy. With their livelihoods at stake, these cork cutters, who set out at dawn to peel off the oaks' dead bark, are worried that their way of life could disappear. During the season, these workers can expect up to 20,000 escudos a day (£78) - compared to their usual 70,000 escudos (£275) monthly pay. Joao Ortigao Ramos, a 78-year-old cork farmer, said: "We're very scared. We're a small, poor country and if plastic really takes off it'll be a great danger for us because we all depend on cork-stripping to survive. If people no longer want cork, it would have a dramatic effect on our communities." Cork farming has flourished ever since the French Abott, Dom Pierre Perignon, first used cork to stopper bottles of the champagne that he invented. Previously, bottles were closed with wood wrapped in cloth.