The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment, through the Regional Directorate for the Environment has launched the tender for intervention works in Faial Botanical Garden, with a budget of 385 thousand Euros and a completion period of five months.
 
The tender, published today in the Official Gazette, includes the construction of a complex of air-conditioned greenhouses consisting of two heated greenhouses and two shaded greenhouses and a central area for epiphytic plants. These structures will host plant species with more demanding temperature and humidity needs.
 
The project also includes the creation of a garden with a network of footpaths and bridges within the visiting area that will contain information signs about the featured plant species.
 
Moreover, the intervention includes the construction of a lake with typical vegetation from wet habitats and, at higher level, a viewpoint for garden observation.
 
This contract work safeguards species that are endangered in their natural habitats, taking into consideration the maintenance of populations, their study and propagation, and, above all, the protection of endangered species from priority habitats within the Natural 2000 Network.
 
Located on the grounds of a former farm and orange coves in Quinta de São Lourenço, Vale dos Flamengos, the Faial Botanical Garden encompasses an area of about 8,000 m2. It provides an important contribution in the areas of science, education, ecology and leisure.
 
In addition to being a must-visit pleasant place that contributes to the tourist offer of Faial island, this garden is primarily intended for botanical conservation, with special emphasis on the conservation of live plants and the preservation of native species seeds in order to ensure their spread and the recovery of habitats. It also aims to raise awareness for the importance of the natural floristic richness of the Azores.