The Government of the Azores has several ongoing initiatives related to the identification, characterization and assessment of natural hazards, with the purpose of creating instruments of territorial management that integrate risk constraints. The assurance was provided by the Regional Directorate for Land Planning and Water Resources, which, according to him, is one of the main priorities of the Regional Directorate regarding the spatial planning.
According to the Regional Director, “contrary to what may have happened to others, the Government did not remember this issue only because there was an accident in a beach in the Algarve; therefore, demonstrating a concern for the possibility of landslides in the Azores can only be understood in terms of opportunity.” The type of events occurred in Maria Luísa Beach in the Algarve is frequent and is the result of natural processes, but this specific event assumed another importance due to the registered casualties. Such episodes in the Azores are also common, occurring more frequently, given the particular nature of the deposits that constitute the cliffs.
As a result of their geography and geology, the Azores are conducive to the occurrence of many different hazards that, in most cases, act together, such as floods, mass movements, gas releases, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, among others. On the other hand, such phenomena may occur with various intensities and magnitudes and their duration may range from few seconds to many years. A natural disaster of this type can drastically alter the life of a person, of a family and of a community, having a significant impact from a social and economic point of view. For that reason, “the Government is aware that assuring a sustainable development model for the Region is not possible if the main strategic directions do not taken into account the issue of natural hazards,” stated Joao Luis Gaspar.
As an example, the Regional Director reminded that the president of the Regional Government, Carlos César, announced last April that the Regional Ecological Reserve is being redefined, a work based on the scientific point of view as well as on the strong commitment of the Government to ensure and regulate the more appropriate strategies regarding the qualification of the Azores as a safer place to live. 
The preparation and implementation of the management tools for the adoption of risk constraints in the area of spatial planning is a task of great technical complexity, given the implications: the active participation of the local authorities, of the village councils and of the citizens. According to João Luís Gaspar, this was a commitment made by the Government for this legislative period, being developed in accordance with the planning that has been carried out.