The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism highlighted the dynamics and importance of nature conservation projects in the Azores that are carried out by the Government, safeguarding of the Region's valuable environmental heritage.
 
Marta Guerreiro spoke during the visit to the construction of the warehouse and plant nursery area for endemic species of Santa Maria Environment Services, stressing that the works are already at an advanced stage "with an investment of 50 thousand Euros." On the occasion, she mentioned "its significance for the success of the ongoing and future nature conservation policies aimed at the protected areas of the island's Natural Park. This is especially important for the implementation of the action plan for the Santa Maria goldcrest ("Regulus regulus sanctae-mariae"), an endemic subspecies from Santa Maria Island and the smallest bird in Europe.
 
In the context of the Government's visit to Santa Maria, the Regional Secretary also became better acquainted with the conservation efforts of the "Lotus Azoricus" population in the protected area for the management of habitats or species of Ponta do Castelo, where several endemic species of vascular flora are found. Some of them are quite and, therefore, are awarded priority status in regional and European conservation policies.
 
"The most significant populations of "Lotus Azoricus" in the archipelago are found in private land plot located in Ponta do Castelo. On April 12, a Nature's Custody agreement (the first in the Region) was signed the owners of the land in order to ensure the implementation of nature conservation actions in this action," stressed the government official.
 
The government official also stressed that the works on the control of exotic and invasive flora have already begun. According to her, it "coincided with the organisation of the first nature conservation field for volunteer tourism promoted by the Regional Directorate for the Environment. This initiative brought together 10 volunteers from five countries, who worked together with the Regional Directorate's workers in this land plot between April 12 and 21.
 
"These Nature's Custody agreements and Environmental Volunteering projects are conservation and management tools promoting the idea that nature conservation is not only compatible with human activity, but it can also be optimised by the involvement of people, namely landowners, land users and civil society groups," added the government official.
 
Marta Guerreiro recalled the "unprecedented investment in nature conservation policies in the Azores, with special emphasis on the LIFE projects in progress (LIFE Vidalia and LIFE IP Azores Natura), which represent a direct investment of about 21 million Euros."