Azorean Government inaugurates work to upgrade the pedestrian routes in Serra de Santa Bárbara, on Terceira island

Dec. 15, 2023

On Thursday, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, and the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral, inaugurated the refurbishment of the footpaths in Serra de Bárbara, on Terceira island.

Alonso Miguel explained that the Serra de Santa Bárbara is part of the Terceira Nature Park –“given its richness in terms of landscape and its extraordinary natural heritage, in terms of biodiversity and geodiversity, which justify its classification as a Nature Reserve, within which there is also the Caldeira da Serra de Santa Bárbara Integral Reserve, which boasts one of the best preserved patches of natural vegetation in the Azores, but also as a geosite of the Azores Geopark and also as a Special Area of Conservation, within the scope of the Natura 2000 network”.

“All these singularities and all this magnificent landscape, of course, make the Serra de Santa Bárbara a unique site, and one of the main recreational and tourist assets of Terceira island and the Azores, which is why it is also one of the most sought-after sites and with the greatest visitation pressure and, as such, it became essential to create conditions that could improve its enjoyment and organise visitation, protecting and valuing this place even more,” he added.

He said that the aim of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change was to create better conditions for the environmental interpretation of this site, through a pedagogical route, providing in loco information on the geological and ecological richness of this protected area, through panels and interpretive tables, so that our tourists and visitors, and above all the Azoreans, can better get to know and be proud of all this fabulous natural heritage and, above all, to better understand the importance of protecting and conserving it.

Alonso Miguel added that “the walkways and contemplation areas have been built high up on stilts, reducing the area of contact with the ground and vegetation, and are, therefore, a structural solution that minimises the impact on their surroundings”.

“This is an intervention that represents an investment by the Regional Government of around half a million euros, co-financed by the European Union, and which in fact improves the conditions for enjoyment, interpretation and protection, further enhancing this excellent place of visitation and the Serra de Santa Bárbara Nature Reserve, which is a very important part of Terceira island's fabulous natural heritage,” he said.

Alonso Miguel explained that “the intervention consisted of creating a set of infrastructures to support visitors, namely an arrival and parking area, from which you can access two wooden walkways, one to the south, 324 metres long, and the other to the north, 245 metres long, along which there are various contemplation areas and viewpoints, which make it possible to use this protected area in an orderly fashion, and from which you can enjoy a privileged view over a large stretch of the south coast of Terceira island, as well as the Sphagnum peat bogs and patches of Azorean Laurel Forest found inside the crater,” she explained.

For Berta Cabral, “this is yet another work that highlights the importance of nature and adventure for the tourism sector in the Azores, which was recently classified by the 2023 World Travel Awards as the Best Adventure Destination in the World”.

“The work that the Government of the Azores has been doing to place the Region at the highest levels of tourism worldwide also involves the requalification of our natural heritage, which is unique in the world and allows those who visit us to have unforgettable experiences," she said.

Berta Cabral emphasised the potential and importance of nature and adventure tourism for the Azores as a destination of choice, since this promotes “the creation of economic value and the well-being of the population”.

The Regional Secretary said, meanwhile, that the PEMTA (Strategic and Marketing Plan for Tourism in the Azores) points to nature tourism, from a sustainable perspective, as a top priority, where the whole active, adventure and sports component is of fundamental importance to the experience.

She said that the Azores are an international success story in the area of sustainable tourism, and that “they are a destination of excellence all year round with very diverse and rich experiences”.

Berta Cabral argued that the mild climate of the Azores is very appealing to most source markets and that the natural wonders of the nine islands can be enjoyed at any time of year and even have a special mysticism in winter, such as the hiking trails.

“This investment has transformed this visitation area into an important tourist promotion asset, which should be maximised and valued by all tourist agents, local authorities and businesspeople in the sector, just like the Paiva footbridges, which have brought enormous tourist exposure to the Arouca area,” she said.

At stake is an intervention that represented an investment by the Regional Government of around half a million euros, co-financed by the European Union, and which will in fact improve the conditions for enjoyment, interpretation and protection, further enhancing this excellent place of visitation and the Serra de Santa Bárbara Nature Reserve.