The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Environment visited today the greenhouse where the first 3,500 orchids will be placed, stressing the project for the new Orchidarium of the Azores being developed at a local level.

Luís Neto Viveiros, who also visited the land where the earthmoving works are being carried out, stated that the remaining plants of this collection that comprises more than 700 different types of orchids will arrive in "the beginning of next year"; they will transported with "great care" and under special conditions.

The Regional Secretary stressed that the transport operation of the first 3,500 orchids required the storing of orchids in a special container with controlled atmosphere, from Coimbra to Horta, where they are now in quarantine until being publicly displayed.

"All plants came [this week] in perfect condition," said the Secretary for the Environment to journalists. In this context, Luís Neto Viveiros mentioned that these plants are "an asset that brings added value to Faial Botanical Garden," making it "more attractive" to visitors.

This collection will be open to the public at the new Orchidarium of the Azores, a complex built especially for this purpose. It represents an investment of around 100 thousand Euros that should be completed by mid-2016 and will be part of Faial Botanical Garden.

With a total area of about 7,000 m2, the expansion project will include, in addition to the 900 m2 Orchidarium and several areas designed for different species of orchids, will have a surrounding area with native plants.

This is also one of the most important private donations to the Region due to its scientific value. It will become an international tourist attraction and an environmental knowledge and dissemination centre.

The implementation of this project also will make a significant contribution to the improvement and diversification in garden tourism in the Azores, especially in orchid gardens, and the subsequent increase in the number of visitors and revenue.