Biodiversity

The island of São Miguel, due to its geological age and large dimension, stands out as one of the wealthiest islands in endemic species.

In terms of fauna, stands out the Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), one of the rarest passerines in Europe, which currently has its geographical distribution reduced to the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação, and the Ground Beetle (Thalassophilus azoricus) that only exists in Gruta de Água de Pau (cave).

It has four classified areas under the Natura 2000 network and three Ramsar Sites.