The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism highlighted in Canaries the Regional Government's effort to preserve the archipelago's natural heritage, noting that "firm steps" have been taken towards its management and safeguarding.

Marta Guerreiro spoke on La Gomera Island at the 4th ITLA World Congress - Terraced Territories. On the occasion, she stressed that, for the past 20 years, the Government has developed "numerous territorial planning and management mechanisms, with special emphasis on sensitive areas."

According to the government official, these efforts began with the "development and implementation of various territorial management tools." Currently, the archipelago of the Azores is covered by 65 tools. They have contributed to the consolidation of a "wide network of protected areas, the construction of two dozen visiting and environmental interpretation centres throughout the archipelago, the classification of four Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO, and the implementation of programmes to support the maintenance of ecosystems and traditional landscapes."

The Secretary for the Environment also stressed that the Network of Protected Areas of the Azores comprises 123 sites in the nine Island Natural Parks, occupying more than 24% of the archipelago's territory. With regard to some protected areas, the Government has enforced access regulations and imposed limits on the number of visitors. According to her, "this process is being implemented simultaneous with the preparation of Management Plans for Island Natural Parks and the Action Plans for Biosphere Reserves."

"Recently, in December, we took another step, by affirming Landscape as an important component for the collective well-being and sustainable development of the Azores," the Regional Secretary said, pointing out the publication of a Resolution from the Council of the Government. It defines the goals towards quality and the guidelines for the management of Azorean landscape "as a relevant resource from an environmental, social, cultural and economic perspective as well as an identity factor for those living here and those visiting the Azores."

In her speech, Marta Guerreiro highlighted the awarding of the 2018 National Prize to Pico Vineyard Culture Landscape as an example of these "public territorial policies."

The government official also emphasised the island of Santa Maria, namely São Lourenço bay and Maia, for "the strong Man-Nature relation in the amphitheatre-shaped slopes covered by vineyards and divided by stone walls and terraces, which are only accessible by narrow roads and stone steps along the steep slopes." In this regard, she revealed that the Government is moving forward with "the recovery process of the stone walls and terraces on the island of Santa Maria" with the aim of preserving this vineyard landscape.