The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry highlighted the "Applied Research in Hunting Resources" prize awarded to the paper titled "Hunting in the Azores - the importance of adaptive management" under the Wildlife&Game Management Innovation Summit 2019. According to him, it acknowledges the international recognition of the good work that has been carried out in the archipelago in terms of hunting policies.
 
"The Azores are to be congratulated for the prize awarding the best scientific work, which distinguishes the efforts to adapt scientific research to the needs of the field (applied research)," said João Ponte. The paper was delivered by the Head of the Hunting Division of the Regional Directorate for Forest Resources, Manuel Leitão.
 
The prize jury was composed of the following members: João Galinha Barreto, Portuguese Hunting Federation (FENCAÇA); João Carvalho, National Association of Rural Owners, Hunting Management and Biodiversity (ANPC); Fernando Castanheira Pinto, National Confederation of Portuguese Hunters (CNCP); Paulo Célio Alves, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources of the University of Porto (CIBIO-UP); Carlos Fonseca, University of Aveiro; Jorge Correia, National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (FMV-UL).
 
At the Wildlife & Game Management Innovation Summit 2019, held in Oeiras, the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry was represented by two technicians from the Regional Directorate for Forest Resources, Manuel Leitão and Paulo Lima, who delivered three papers on hunting management in the Azores.
 
This international event was held at the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research, an initiative organised by the Expertise Centre for the Study, Management and Sustainability of Game Species and Biodiversity (CCEGSECB).
 
The summit aimed to mobilise knowledge, synergies and collaboration in the area of wildlife, game management and biodiversity. It focused on the transfer of two-way knowledge, through the promotion of multiple opportunities for interaction and critical discussion among the more conventional agents of knowledge (National and Transnational Scientific and Technological System), the Central and Local Administrations and the entities in the field; the latter include hunting associations, hunter clubs, organisations, hunters, managers, owners and environmental associations, among others.
 
The meeting was attended by national and international speakers, representatives of central and local administrations, and representatives of national and international organisations in different thematic sessions, which included, besides round tables, workshops and plenary conferences, the delivery of scientific papers.