The Regional Director for the Environment stated today in Horta that the transfer of a collection of 7,000 orchids belonging to a Finnish family to the Autonomous Region of the Azores allows the launch of a project on Faial that combines "the environment, the economy and social development in an exemplary manner."

"The established management model for the Ranta's family orchid collection will improve the training levels of local human resources in technical and management areas. It will also contribute to generation of revenue for the company Azorina, either through the growing number of visitor or through the sales of orchids produced for the internal and external markets," said Hernâni Jorge.

The Regional Director noted that the possibility of transferring this valuable collection to the Azores happened "precisely" at a time when the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment began the creation of a "local conservation project for the Azorean natural flora."

Hernâni Jorge revealed that the project to be presented soon will be implemented in a land with a total area of 7,000 m2, contiguous to the greenhouses of Faial Botanical Garden, which will be provided by the Regional Directorate for Agriculture.

According to the Regional Director, it was decided that "this space will have a specific area to house the orchid collection." The government official added that the project includes "the construction of an orchid nursery with an area of 800 m2, equipped with most advanced technology to recreate the necessary conditions for the growth of such demanding plants.

The establishment of this orchid collection in the Azores and the respective investments will allow the creation of a specialised hub in the development of one of the best orchid collections of the world and second best of Europe taking advantage of the proximity to Faial Botanical Garden and the installed capacity in technical terms.

According to Hernâni Jorge, the display of this collection to the public throughout the year is "another attraction for this botanical garden, thus improving the regional offer in the garden tourism sector, which is rapidly growing at an international level."