Within a year, the Azores Geopark may become part of the Global and European network that currently comprises 98 Geoparks, including Naturtejo and Arouca Geoparks in Portugal.

The decision will be made in September 2012, following the official submission of the application by GEOAÇORES Association to the Ambassador of Portugal to UNESCO in Lisbon tomorrow.

For the Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea, who received a copy of the application dossier from the Board of GEOAÇORES today, the inclusion of the Azores in this network not only "allows to project" the Region farther, but also all the "knowledge that has already been developed" in the archipelago.

"The Azores are well known for the diversity of their geology as well as for the diversity of their formations," said Álamo Meneses, adding that "this recognition already exists."

According to him, we will now "formalise this recognition, that is, we will have access to a series of Geoparks with a set of well defined rules aimed to recognise and monitor this diversity as well as to certify its management."

"The step we are now taking is, after all, the demonstration that we have done our work, and now we want it to be certified," stated Álamo Meneses.

As he mentioned, we are requesting “our inclusion while being a geopark integrated into a European and worldwide network, which has a well defined set of rules with visibility and international projection."

The Azorean application will be assessed in June and July next year and the final decision will taken by September 2012.

Consisting of about 120 geosites located on the nine islands that make up the archipelago and the Azores Sea, the Azores Geopark is managed by GEOAÇORES, a private non-profit association based in Horta.

Established in May 2010, this association was founded by Autonomous Region of the Azores, through the Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, and by the following founding members: ASDEPR - Association for the Development of Rural Promotion, ARDE - Association for Development, ADELIAÇOR - Association for Local Development of Islands Azores and GRATER - Association for Regional Development.