The public meeting to present results and award prizes for environmental activity took place on the occasion of the external evaluation LIFE + project “Sanctuary Islands for seabird.” This project aims to promote activities that safeguard seabirds and encourage its sustainable use, especially regarding to nature tourism. The main activities developed under this project include the construction of artificial nests, removal of invasive flora and eradication of rats in the areas where seabirds nest and the organisation of environmental promotion activities. At this session two videos about the project were exhibited, one focused on the presentation of the methods being used and the other on the first environmental paper peddy held on the island of Corvo; the results already achieved under this initiative were also presented. Nearly eighty people attended this session, which represents about 20% of the island’s population.
During the public session, the Regional Director for the Environment, Frederico Cardigos, said that regarding “the environmental goals achieved on the archipelago, the island of Corvo reflects the positive evolution in the Azores.” Despite that “the existence of problems like the spread of invasive flora and fauna and even the poor waste management, the Regional Director reminded that we cannot  forget positive results achieved in the International Year of Biodiversity. In addition to the specific results of the LIFE + project, the developments in the future implementation of the Waste Centre on Corvo, the confirmation of a new bird in the Azores, the Monteiro’s storm-petrel, and the rescue of Azores bullfinch are some of the positive results achieve this year.
The LIFE + Programme is promoted and financed by the European Commission and aims to establish itself as a support tool for the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives in the European Union. This project is the result of a partnership between the Society for the Study of Birds, the project’s coordinator, the Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, its major financial backer, the Corvo Town Hall and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.