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Faial da Terra
Protected Area for the Management of Habitats or Species
Gallery
With 206 hectares, this area is located between Faial da Terra and Lombo Gordo beach.
This area is particularly used in the summer season for recreational use and leisure, and there is even a large cluster of houses in Fajã do Calhau. Some of the areas are also used for agriculture.
The Ribeira do Faial da Terra (stream) establishes the border between the Povoação volcano and the Nordeste Volcanic Complex. While on the western side of the stream are the trachytic lava flows and the pumice deposits associated with the Povoação volcano, on the east side it is possible to observe the basaltic lava flows and the pyroclastic deposits of the fissural basaltic complex of Nordeste (the oldest of São Miguel, with about four million years).
On the shorelines exist many dykes, mostly basaltic, and some detritic platforms through extensive platforms at the base of high sea-cliffs, such as the Fajã do Calhau (the largest of the island) and the Fajã do Lombo Gordo. The Lombo Gordo beach and a long pebble strip predominate in the coastal landscape.
In this protected area stand out the coastal Macaronesian woodlands of Firetree (Morella faya) and Azorean Heather (Erica azorica). On the rocky areas closer to the sea level are endemic species such as Azorean Bellflower (Azorina vidalli), Azorean Coastal Spurge (Euphorbia azorica) and Azorean Coastal Fescue (Festuca petraea).
It is also a habitat for protected bird species as the Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris borealis) and the Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri baroli).
This area integrates a geosite of the Azores UNESCO Global Geopark and includes an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) by BirdLife International organization. Together with two other protected areas of Povoação and Nordeste councils, it was awarded with the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas by the EUROPARC Federation.