The Regional Secretary for Natural Resources welcomed the inclusion of the Azores Geopark in the European Geoparks Network (EGN). The decision was unanimously approved by the Coordinating Committee at the headquarters of UNESCO on Thursday evening.

"Given the relevance of the geological heritage of the Azores, their scientific, scenic and educational value as well as their rich biodiversity and remarkable cultural heritage, the Regional Government has invested in the creation and implementation of the Azores Geopark as a structuring project for the Region, which has now achieved international recognition, stated Luís Neto Viveiros on the sidelines of the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly on Thursday night.

In addition to projecting the Region in Europe and the World, the inclusion of the Azores Geopark in this European network can also boost the creation of regional and local companies in the area of geotourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism with the development of new quality products in the context of sustainable tourism.

The Azores Geopark is unique in the world for having 121 geosites scattered across nine islands. It reflects the archipelago's volcanic diversity, which includes calderas (geological formations), lava fields and volcanic ridges; some of these formations date back to 10 million years.

Of a total of 121 geosites, 57 were awarded priority status in the development of geoconservation strategies and the implementation of recovery actions.
These geosites are located on the islands of S. Miguel (10), Pico (8), Terceira (7), Faial (6), Flores (6), Santa Maria (5), Graciosa (5), São Jorge (5), Corvo (3) and in the seabed of the Azores plateau (2).

The integration of the Azores Geopark in the European and Global Geoparks Network will strengthen the link between geology, volcanic landscapes, biodiversity and the archipelago's cultural values.