The President of the Government announced today the revision of the Regional Plan for Environmental Education and Awareness Raising with the aim of extending its scope to new areas related to the sustainable development of the Region.

Vasco Cordeiro spoke at the opening of the Serra de Santa Bárbara Interpretation Centre on the island of Terceira. This investment of nearly 450 thousand Euros is in line with the goals of three political areas in which the Government of the Azores will continue to invest, namely the preservation of natural heritage, tourism and environmental education.

"The mission to promote environmental education is yet to be concluded," Vasco Cordeiro stated, announcing that the revision process of the current programme will give way to the Regional Education Plan for the Sustainable Development of the Azores (PREDSA).

Furthermore, the President of the Government highlighted the results achieved by the School Park programme, which provides a free educational offer on environmental awareness raising to students and teachers, through the promotion of several educational actions involving students.

"We are on the right track" in this area, Vasco Cordeiro assured. According to him, the activities carried out last year under this programme involved more than 30,000 participants.

In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro assured that the Government of the Azores will continue its efforts to boost the Region's environmental resources in order to provide an increasingly valid and enriched offer in terms of development and progress.

"Our natural heritage is worth in itself, being an important asset of the Region as well as an important factor for its development," the President of the Government defended, highlighting the relevance of this perspective in the Tourism sector.

Vasco Cordeiro stressed that Nature is one of the main tourist products the Azores have to offer. In this context, one can easily become aware of the investment strategy developed to create "pull" factors for visitors, such as the newly opened Interpretation Centre.

The construction project of the new Serra de Santa Bárbara Interpretation Centre focused on the minimisation of its impact by maintaining the original layout and some traditional elements, such as basalt stone.

With the opening of another infrastructure, the Region will be now provided with a network of 16 Environmental Centres in all Island Natural Parks.