Ponta da Restinga

Located on the southeast end of the island, this protected area has 70.23 hectares, a maximum height of approximately 170 metres, covers the coastal sea-cliffs between Ponta do Carapacho and Fenais, and integrates Ponta da Restinga and Ponta do Engrade.

It comprises high sea-cliffs with volcanic necks, basaltic dykes and surtseyan tuffs that were exposed due to marine erosion. In geological terms, it should be noted that there are some sources of thermal water, as the one in Termas do Carapacho, and the thermal spring of Homiziados, located on the east side of the Ponta da Restinga.

In this habitat, we can find colonies of seabirds, of which stands out the Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris borealis) and the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), and examples of the Azores endemic flora such as the Azorean Wild Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. azoricus), the Azorean Coastal Fescue (Festuca petraea), the Azorean Heather (Erica azorica), the Azorean Coastal Spurge (Euphorbia azorica), the Azorean Sandspurry (Spergularia azorica), the Azorean Goldenrod (Solidago azorica), the Azorean Rockcap Fern (Polypodium azoricum). The Firetree (Morella faya), a Macaronesian endemism, is also observable in this area.

This protected area has the status of Special Area of Conservation (SAC), within the Natura 2000 network and the status of Ilhéu de Baixo e Costa Adjacente Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), of the BirdLife International organization. It also integrates the Ponta Carapacho, Ponta da Restinga e Ilhéu de Baixo priority geosite of the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark.

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