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Ponta do Castelo
Protected Area for the Management of Habitats or Species
Gallery
Covering 137 hectares, Ponta do Castelo is one of the most emblematic geolandscapes of Santa Maria, located at the southeastern tip of the island. This promontory stands out for hosting the largest set of habitats with Mediterranean characteristics in the Azores, including cliffs with endemic flora of the Macaronesian coasts and perennial vegetation associated with pebble beaches.
Rising about 200 metres above sea level, Ponta do Castelo reveals remarkable geodiversity, with subaerial and submarine lava flows, levels of pyroclasts, hyaloclastites and various sedimentary rocks, such as calcarenites with rich fossil content. The area also features unique geological formations, such as prismatic and spheroidal disjunction structures, radial disjunction in submarine lava and several dykes that witness to different volcanic phases in the island’s history.
This protected area also includes striking elements of Madeira's cultural landscape, such as the Gonçalo Velho Lighthouse and the remains of the old whaling factory, where you can see old platforms, tanks and boat houses related to whaling, which continued until the 1980s.
Among the most notable sites are the Pedra que Pica fossil deposit, an abundant accumulation of fossils of molluscs, echinoderms and other coastal marine organisms, and the impressive prismatic disjunction of Ribeira do Maloás, consisting of basalt columns 15 to 20 metres high and extending for about 220 metres.
Ponta do Castelo is also a prime spot for observing endemic coastal flora, including Azorean Bellflower (Azorina vidalii), Azorean Coastal Spurge (Euphorbia azorica), Azorean Coastal Fescue (Festuca petraea), Spergularia azorica, Lotus azoricus, and Macaronesian Umbrella Milkwort (Tolpis succulenta).
Notable marine bird species include the Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis), the Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri baroli) and the Madeiran Storm-petrel (Hydrobates castro). The marine zone of this protected area is also an important passageway for species such as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta).
Ponta do Castelo can be explored via the Grande Rota de Santa Maria (GR01 SMA) and includes several geosites of the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark, as well as class 1 fossil deposits of the Santa Maria Paleopark, reaffirming its exceptional value at the geological, biological, and landscape levels.
Due to its ecological importance, it is classified as a Special Area of Conservation under the Natura 2000 network and as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.