The week of the International Day of Forests was full of environmental awareness activities

April 3, 2023

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change was present at the planting activity of endemic species, more specifically of the Short Leafed Juniper (Juniperus brevifolia), in Fajã dos Cubres, where he also marked the anniversary of the Fajãs de São Jorge Biosphere Reserve.

Directed to the school community, there were activities on the islands of Corvo, Graciosa and Terceira. The 5th-grade students of the Escola BS Mouzinho da Silveira, who are part of the Environmental Club, visited the Endemic Garden of the Corvo Municipal Park for an interpretative activity on the different concepts of species (native, endemic and alien) and what their benefits and problems are, ending with a planting.

On Graciosa, the activity “Exploring the Protected Areas” was organized through the 2022/2023 School Environmental Awareness Activities Offer, at Ponta da Restinga, with the students of the Vocational Training Programme – Kitchen, providing them with the opportunity to proceed with the planting of some specimens of endemic species of the Azores.

As part of the Eco-schools programme, the School and Kindergarten "O Gu e a Tita" hosted an awareness-raising activity pro

moting Azorean biodiversity and regulation of the island water cycle, and planting of the endemic flora species Azorean Picconia (Picconia azorica), Azorean Heather (Erica azorica) and Azorean Viburnum (Viburnum treleasei), donated by the Forestry Services of Terceira Island, in which participated 26 students and six teachers/educational assistants.

Other activities were promoted by LIFE projects coordinated by this Regional Secretariat. Intending to understand what insects are and their usefulness in Nature and to Man, the LIFE BEETLES project organized the activity "Insects under a Magnifying Glass" with the students of EB1,2/JI da Lajes das Flores. On Pico, the project held an interpretative walk aimed at the general public, followed by a planting action of endemic species, where 140 trees were planted near the Caiado Lagoon, in partnership with the São Roque do Pico City Council under a nature custody agreement with this entity.

On Terceira and São Miguel islands, the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project removed young individuals of the invasive species Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) in the Lagoa do Negro intervention area, and planted around 300 endemic species, namely Firetree (Morella faya), Azorean Heather (Erica azorica) and Azorean Laurel (Laurus azorica), at Pico do Carvão.

The LIFE SNAILS project included the participation of eight Belgian students with training in forestry and agriculture, accompanied by two teachers, who travelled to the island of Santa Maria through the ERASMUS programme to obtain knowledge in a field context. Actions to control invasive flora and plant endemic species were carried out in the project intervention areas, thus contributing to the recovery of the natural habitat of the target species, the endemic land snails of the island.