Carlos César opens the Wild Birds Recovery Centre and says that Corvo is an example of change
Carlos César recalled the evolution in the world in recent years to draw attention to the changes that occurred in the Azores under the guidance of the Regional Government, in the areas of telecommunications, accessibilities, education, health system and social support, agriculture and other areas.
As the President of the Government stressed, gone are the days when a group of dedicated people founded the Corvo Radio and TV Broadcaster on that island to suppress to the absence of RTP Açores (regional TV broadcaster) whose signal did not reach the Western Group islands.
In the exact place where this pirate TV broadcaster operated for some time, Carlos César opened the Wild Birds Recovery Centre of Corvo Island, which, according to him, makes the smallest island of the archipelago an example of permanent change.
Emphasising the pioneering nature of the structure and its importance as a sign of respect and interest that the biologic species of the Azores deserve, the President of the Government mentioned that the centre was not born of chance, being the result the result of an initiative of young Corvo islanders as well as of the collaboration of the Corvo Town Hall.
It is a good example, as he stressed, but there is another. “The Azores Bullfinch, an endemic bird from eastern zone of São Miguel Island, is no longer critically endangered thanks to a joint work undertaken by the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, the Government of the Azores and the Nordeste Town Hall, which was co-financed by the LIFE Programme.”
As Carlos César also reminded, this project was recognised by the European Commission as one of the five Best of the Best and the recovery of the Azores Bullfinch was certified by the BirdLife International, whose results were registered in the Red List of the European Union for Nature Conservation.
“I stress, in this public act, this process not only for its obvious connection, but also for the fact that this Centre is part of a consolidated conduct in regional policies,” stated the President of the Regional Government.
Furthermore, Carlos César added that, within days, the first comprehensive list of Azorean species will published with the support of the Regional Government. The numerous species covered by that list is “a precious demonstration of our richness of species, but also of our responsibility in their preservation.”
Defending the need to know the environment in order to acknowledge its value, the President of the Government mentioned the project “Feel and Interpret the Environment of the Azores Through Multimedia Resources” (SIARAM), which is available from any computer with Internet access, valuing the environment offer in the Azores and, thereby, the economic activities involved.
“Hence we will progressively increase our revenues based on the different aspects of so-called nature tourism,” Carlos César stated, reminding that the Azores were considered as one of the top ten destinations in the world for whale watching. The new Wild Birds Recovery Centre on Corvo will become a new attraction in the Azores as well as a source of revenue for the island.