The Government of the Azores has decided to move ahead immediately with the operationalisation of the Pico Island Natural Park, the second to be created following the Faial Island Park.
The announcement by the Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea on Wednesday during a visit to one of the most emblematic sites of the Pico island park- the highest mountain in Portugal.
Álamo Meneses said at the occasion that this is for the Government “one of priority parks” in the archipelago as well as “one of the richest” in terms of natural landscape, endemic resources, geology and the landscape with human influence, such as the cases of the vineyard landscape and the whaling route.
“We will start to install the signals deemed necessary for a natural park, create a guide and an interpretative structure” to guide visits to the park “so that visitors may become acquainted with the several areas that integrate the park and its coherent structure,” stated the Regional Secretary
Álamo Meneses stressed the fact that Pico has the largest natural vegetation area in the Azores with the greatest diversity of habitats, which makes it a special island.
“Pico brings together interesting cultural aspects, linked to the human presence on the island, and nature aspects with an unparalleled geology and flora in the Azores,” concluded the Regional Secretary for the Environment.