The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated today that "the Capelinhos Volcano will gain further prominence with the Natural Monument Classification," thus fulfilling, once again, "the strategy envisioned in the Government's Programme to safeguard the natural heritage of the Azores."
 
Marta Guerreiro spoke at the Legislative Assembly in Horta at the presentation of a proposal for a Regional Legislative Decree establishing the Capelinhos Volcano Natural Monument.
 
"With this proposal, we highlight the relevance of Capelinhos Volcano in the context of the Network of Protected Areas of the Azores with its classification as Natural Monument as far as it meets all the requirements for this purpose. It is the most recent natural territory of Portugal that features natural, scenic, cultural and historical values of significant relevance, whose integrity must be preserved," stressed the government official.
 
"After 60 years of its eruption and 10 years of the implementation of the Interpretation Centre, today we take another step in safeguarding such a valuable heritage as the Capelinhos Volcano. It will now join the 10 Natural Monuments of the Region as a protected area requiring the necessary protection of the uniqueness of its natural elements," stressed the Regional Secretary.
 
According to her, "geomorphological elements of considerable relevance with educational potential have been created over the past 60 years, allowing the observation of different volcanic elements of each eruptive phase." Hence, they have "opened a new page in the international scientific scene by allowing a better understanding, through direct observation, of the different processes leading to the formation of volcanic islands, such as the archipelago of the Azores."
 
Marta Guerreiro recalled that "the volcano was classified as a Partial Natural Forest Reserve in 1988 and reclassified as Natural Reserve in 2007. On the following year, it became part of the protected area for the management of habitats or species of Capelinhos, Northwest Coast and Varadouro, within the Faial Natural Park, which created that same year."
 
The Regional Secretary also recalled that he Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre was opened in 2008. "In addition to interpreting and promoting the environmental heritage of this protected area, it evokes this remarkable period in the recent history of the Azores, being a museum-oriented space of reference that has registered more than 250 thousand visitors in its first decade."
 
"In this context, and 10 years after its opening, this year's plan includes a 500 thousand-Euro investment in the modernisation and update of contents with the purpose of ensuring the maintenance of its attractiveness as one of the key visiting sites on the island of Faial," added the government official.
 
According to Marta Guerreiro "this a permanent strategy on all islands of the archipelago, where biodiversity, geodiversity and landscapes of the Azores stand out as essential elements in the definition of our identity." Therefore, they demand "a careful, permanent and sustainable management, with special emphasis on the monitoring and control of major threats."
 
"We have been undertaking efforts not only to continue showing the richness of our natural heritage but, above all, to be considered as an example in the implementation of public environmental policies," said the Regional Secretary.