Hackathon ‘Business opportunities in the Pico Island Nature Park (PNIP)’

March 20, 2025

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, as part of the international Nature Returns project, is organising a hackathon ‘Business opportunities in the Pico Island Nature Park (PNIP)’ on 27 March at 20h, at the headquarters of the Pico Island Commercial and Industrial Association (ACIP), to discuss business opportunities to be implemented within the area covered by the Pico Island Nature Park Management Plan, published by Regional Decree no. 18/2020/A, of 10 August.
The PNIP is one of the five pioneering sites of the Nature Returns project, along with the natural parks of Lonjsko Polje (Croatia), Príncipe (São Tomé and Príncipe), Shar Mountains (North Macedonia) and Ulcinj Salina (Montenegro). 
Nature Returns is a legacy project of the now-defunct MAVA Foundation, in partnership with Nature Returns, EuroNatur, Connectology and the management authorities of the 5 nature parks, which aims to innovate the management of protected areas by promoting and including entrepreneurial businesses that can contribute to reversing existing threats and ensuring management, seeking mutual benefits for area managers (who thus save human and financial resources to provide management), for entrepreneurs (who have an opportunity for their innovative businesses), and for local communities (who gain local employment opportunities).