The Regional Director for Fisheries stressed today on Faial the importance of environmental education activities, considering that they "allow citizens in general to identify themselves with the natural world that surrounds them."

"We are just protecting what we know", said Luís Costa, who spoke at the hoisting ceremony of the Blue Flag on Porto Pim beach in the city of Horta.

Apart from the environmental awareness raising actions organised under the Blue Flag initiative by regional and local authorities, the Regional Director highlighted the coordination and promotion effort undertaken by the Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Natural Resources in the "SOS Cagarro" (SOS Cory's Shearwater) and "Açores Entre Mares" (Azores Between Seas) campaigns.

Luís Costa revealed that this year, the "Açores Entre Mares" campaign, which ran from the European Maritime Day to the World Ocean Day, registered 116 activities across the archipelago, involving 133 entities and 5,884 participants.

According to Luís Costa, this campaign, coordinated by the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs and integrated in the Regional Plan for Environmental Education and Awareness Raising, has become "one of the periods of thorough reflection on a sustainable use of the sea with imagination and fun."

Despite being a demanding process for local authorities and requiring "the coordination of various technical activities, from water quality testing to the support infrastructures for beach areas, the Regional Director noted that the Blue Flag application is "essential" for the development strategy of the Azores.

"We [the Government and local authorities] are demonstrating and expressing the environmental quality of the Azores," stated the government official.
 
The management of Porto Pim beach area is under the responsibility of Faial Natural Park, a body under the jurisdiction of the Regional Directorate for the Environment, in conjunction with Azorina.