The Government of the Azores will the formalise the accession of the Biosphere Reserves of Graciosa, Corvo and Flores to the World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves during the conference taking place in Attard on the island of Malta.

The Regional Directorate for the Environment, Hernâni Jorge, participated in the opening session of the conference, which was chaired by the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Malta, Leo Brincat. The event brings together fifty participants, including representatives of UNESCO and Biosphere Reserves from twenty countries around the world.

This meeting includes the submission of the application form of "Fajãs" of São Jorge to UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, scheduled for Wednesday session. The proposal for the delimitation of their respective area was agreed this week at a meeting held by the Monitoring Committee, a body created by the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment that comprises representatives of municipal authorities and the civil society.

The participation of the application submitted by "Fajãs" of São Jorge at the event is an opportunity to promote the application and garner institutional support from other reserve and entities attending the meeting.

The conference programme also features a tasting of various types of São Jorge cheese and canned tuna produced by Santa Catarina Cannery.