The Regional Director for the Environment announced in Madalena that the Azores Natural Parks have joined a network of travel bugs by geocaching, a nature activity that combines leisure and sport. It "should be coordinated the sustainable use of protected areas in order to ensure that participants comply with the legislation and the codes of conduct in these areas."

"The growing development of this sport requires that the Regional Directorate for the Environment and Natural Parks be at the forefront in order to ensure the adequacy of practices as well as to promote geocaching as an environmental awareness-raising tool," said Hernâni Jorge at the opening session of the colloquium "Volcanic Cavities of the Azores."

As part of the programme to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of Gruta das Torres to the public, this initiative promotes the dissemination of the Azores Natural Parks, through travel bugs. These items will travel across the archipelago bearing the image "Azores Environment" in order to promote Azorean Protected Areas and their Network of Environmental Centres."

Hernâni Jorge also emphasised the "importance of this fortnight at an environmental level," highlighting the European Week of Geoparks, to which the Region will join in partnership with the Regional Directorate for the Environment and the Azores Geopark, and the European Week of Sustainable Development.

"Today, few doubt that natural heritage is an important factor in the assertion of our identity in the context of European and global diversity, especially when part of historical and cultural heritage," said the Regional Director.

Hernâni Jorge stressed that the European Day of Parks will be marked Sunday. The nine Natural Parks of the Azores will promote the celebration of the event from Friday and over the next week, through exhibitions, school sessions and visits to protected areas with the aim of "disseminating the natural heritage of the archipelago, its uniqueness and value, but also its weaknesses."

"We will mark the World Environmental Day on the island of Pico with the national delivery ceremony of the Green Key Award, which will take in the village of Lajes do Pico on June 5.