SPEA receives 3 new trainees in São Miguel

Since Monday that SPEA can rely on three new trainees. Pep Gallen, Silvia Catalá and Pablo Vivanco will be cooperating with Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s and Priolo’s Environmental Center in the coming months.

Pep Gallen

Pep studied Forest Engineering and came to S.Miguel throught the Eurodyssée program and will be staying until August. Pablo is on a professional course in Forest Services and his coming to SPEA is due to a professional internship that will last until June. Both will be part of the Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s mainly as support in peatland conservation actions and in the greenhouse of endemic plants.

Pablo Vivanco

Silvia Catalá studied Byologie, has been in Azores participating of a study developed by University of the Azores and nowadays collaborates with SPEA has a Eurodyssée trainee in Priolo’s Environmental Center, until August.

Silvia Catalá

SPEA welcomes these new trainees and hopes that their stay in São Miguel and in SPEA contributes to an extremely positive experience to their formation.

Nordeste and Povoação visited by EUROPARC representative

Within the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism application, Nordeste and Povoação where visited, on the 12th and 13th of March, the EUROPARC verifier that accompanies the process, Fernando Correia. With the project’s partners representatives, he visited the “Lands of Priolo”, gathering with the representatives of the different public entities and many business man that have been involved in the application.

The verification started with a meeting in Furnas Monitoring and Investigation Center (CMIF) with the local technician team, in which it was reviewed application process delivered to EUROPARC in January 2012 and some of the doubts were clarified. It was also possible to reunite with the responsible persons of the different partners entities in the process.


After lunch, they visited Faial da Terra (Sanguinho’s village) and Água Retorta, where it was given some information about the actions that are to take place in these villages and are included in the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism Action Plan.


On the second day, the visit began with a meeting in Nordeste’s Town Hall and continued with a tour to this Municipality, with the opportunity to know better the handicraft of the “Folha de Milho” in Salga and Ribeira dos Caldeirões park in Achada. The lunch in Nordeste had the presence of different business man from Nordeste, also involved in the process. After this, they visited the nursery of the Nordeste Forest Service Division. The visit ended with a meeting with the President of Povoação Town Hall and a final gathering with the local technician team to do a final balance of this visit.


The Verifier will elaborate a report to deliver to the EUROPARC panel responsible for the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism accolade attribution. The panel decision will be known in September.


The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism to the “Lands of Priolo” is an application engadged by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, to the São Miguel Natural Island Park in the municipalities of Nordeste and povoação, within the Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s, in a partnership between SPEA, DRRF, DRT, Nordeste Municipality and ASDERPR.

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Field Trip to the Sustainable Laurel Life Project with good adherence

On the 10th of March, SPEA organized a field trip to the Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s actions; with the purpose of divulge to all the participants the conservation work carried out by this project.

This activity had 19 participants which had the opportunity of spending their morning in contact with nature. The meeting point was in Povoação’s Municipal Garden and at 10am. With a sunny day, the participants started their field trip with a visit to the project’s greenhouse in Lomba do Loução.


In the greenhouse, the project team technician, Filipe Figueiredo, explained all the work that has been developed for the native plants production and the most relevant methodologies applied, from the seeds collection until the germination, and also the plants acclimatization by transferring them to the nursing beds outside of the greenhouse.


The next stop was in Labaçal, in Serra da Tronqueira, where the participants saw the work done on what concerns to the Laurel Forest recovery. Since this was one of the first areas to be intervened during this project, it’s possible to have an idea about the state before and after the intervention.


After this, the participants went to the viewpoint of Serra da Tronqueira where they were given some explanations about the native vegetation that can be seen from that viewpoint and about the invasive plants expansion in the central area of Serra da Tronqueira.


The field trip ended at Priolo’s Environmental Center (PEC), where SPEA’s technician Azucena de la Cruz gave an explanation about the flora and fauna that can be observed in the SPA Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme, as well as different aspects about Priolo and importance of these endangered habitats.


At the end, remained the promise to participate in more activities and the will of getting to know better the work developed by SPEA in Azores.

The Project’s greenhouse reaches 36 000 plants

For the first time since the construction of the Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s greenhouse, we exceeded the barrier of the 35 000 native plants production.

The production of native plants in the greenhouse, in the previous years, reached 27 000 plants. With this milestone, we increased the number of plants available to plant in the project’s intervention areas.


As usual, the Azorian Heather is the plant with the highest success rate, about 22 000 plants, the Heather follows with 3 710 plants. In adittion, there was an increased success in the germination of other plants, such as the Laurel, the Buckthorn, the Picconia and the Azorean Blueberry, among others.

Unfortunately, we also verified some decrease in the germination of some plants, such as the Faya Tree that has very low germination records.


After two years, since it started at 100%, the Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s greenhouse has been filled with plants that will be replanted in the Natural Forest areas were the project’s intervention takes place.

Azorean Blueberry orchard installed in Furnas

We concluded on the last few days the installment of an Azorean Blueberry orchard on the fields provided by the Furnas Monitoring and Investigation Center (CMIF), by the Furnas Lake margins. This orchard is part of one of the Life Laurel Project actions and will be a test area to verify the evolution and possible profitability of the biological production of this endemic specie’s fruits.

This action aims to develop an economic agricultural production alternative for the archipelago, promoting the production diversification and the endemic species valorization, contributing to their conservation.


To complete this action, it 500 plants were used, all produced from Azorean blueberry seeds, selected in the wild. In a second area, more than 700 cuttings were planted and collected in 2009 also on the natural vegetation areas of Serra da Tronqueira.


We will wait eagerly for results of this work and hope that these plants follow-up brings good news…and good fruits!!

SPEA celebrates World Wetlands Day with a field trip to Planalto dos Graminhais

The Society for the Study of birds (SPEA), within the Sustainable Laurel Project, celebrated the World Wetlands Day on the last Saturday, February 4th, with a field trip to Planalto dos Graminhais, to divulge this important natural area.

The central area in Planalto dos Graminhais is one of the interventioned areas of the Sustainable Laurel Project. This project is a result of the partnership between SPEA, the Azorian Government and the Povoação Municipality, that aims to recover the peatgod areas existing on that area, among other objectives.


The peatbogs are wetlands essential to the water cycle regulation and to ensure the clean water supply and in enough quantities to the local population. The Planalto dos Graminhais is one of the biggest peatbog areas of Azores and is in an advanced degradation state due to the human action.


The meeting point was on Ribeira dos Caldeirões car park, in Achada, Nordeste, and counted with 15 participants. The field trip began on the old path entrance to Pico da Vara that crosses the intervention zone. Despite the fog and wind, it was possible for all the participants get to know the unique characteristics of this area better and understand more about the work that has been done for its recovery. It was also possible to see the areas where drain ditches where made, the paths recovery and erosion zones, among others.


In some places, the results of the implemented actions can already be observed and the musk is recovering in some of the most degraded areas, a good sign and an incentive to the future. In the end remained the desire of a new visit (preferably in a sunnier and warmer day).

LIFE Sustainable Laurissilva with 6 new seelings in Furnas

In the winter of 2012, the first exterior seedlings were made. These are valuable for the plants that require more space to geminate and for those that have a longer germination period, like the Azorian Holly, the Lilly of the Valley Tree that take longer than a year to germinate.

These seedlings are located in Furnas, in fields provided by the Furnas Monitoring and Investigation Center (CMIF).

We believe that this soil is favorable for the germination of these species since it was once used as a fertile orchard.

Six seedlings were created with Azorian Holly, Lilies of the Valley Trees and Scotch Heather.

We hope these seedlings will flourish and provide many plants in the future!

“Terras do Priolo” applying to the European Sustainable Tourism certificate

The III Forum of the Charter for Sustainable Tourism for the “Terras of Priolo” took place yesterday at the Furnas Monitoring and Investigation Center, promoted by the Regional Directorate for the Environment, following the application procedure of the São Miguel Island Natural Park to the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) for the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação.

This application involved a participative process of analysis and the definition of common strategies implicating public entities and private enterprises of both municipalities. As a result of this participative methodology, the Action Plan that will be sent to the Europarc as a part of this application was established.



In this forum, in addition to the partner entities a significant number of local entrepreneurs from both municipalities were present.



From this day onwards, the Plan of Action will begin its implementation while waiting for the results of this application.

To get more information on this, please visit the CETS’ blog at http://cetsmarcapriolo.blogspot.com/

Three internships successfully concluded in S. Miguel

SPEA received during 2011 three interns, through the Estagiar L and T program of Autonomous Region of the Azores. Ana Mendonça, Ana Gonçalves and Fábio Rodrigues, contributed with success in different works of the SPEA’s projects in S.Miguel’s island.

SPEA benefited from their commitment, enthusiasm and dedication. This program proved to be valuable to both parts.

In the words of Ana Mendonça: “I lived an striking experience and had the opportunity to be a part of different SPEA’s projects that enriched my knowledge about biodiversity in general and avifauna in particular. I got the chance to perform rewarding tasks like organizing an exposition about bird bones, contacted with a variety of people and learn more about other projects developed by other entities.

Ana Mendonça and Fábio Rodrigues

I consider my experience in the internship to be positive and the Estagiar L Program an important contribution for the integration of young graduated people in the labor market. I’m satisfied and I recommend this program to anyone”.

Fábio Rodrigues says: “This work experience was unforgettable. SPEA has given us a good working environment and the opportunity to take part in many courses and activities. One of the most memorable events was the trip we did to Madeira’s Island to participate in the SPEA’s VII Ornithology Congress and I Macaronesia Ornithology Symposium.

In what concerns to the Estagiar Program, I have to refer that it is an important tool for young people that are about to start their professional life. The program is well-defined, with the necessary range to what could happen and to goals to achive”.

Fábio Rodrigues and Ana Gonçalves

In what concerns to Ana Gonçalves, she says: “SPEA is a reference and highlighted entity in the developed work on birds and their habitat conservation, as such I thank the opportunity to be part of their projects.
The Environmental Education is crucial to a conservation project, because it raises people’s awareness to the environmental problems and shows competence in the problems resolution.

Ana Gonçalves and Ana Mendonça

All through the internship, I had the opportunity to take part in different activities that enriched my knowledge, not only in the professional level, but in the personal one too. The contact with different publics that were in the activities payed off and the results obtained in population awareness, about the Laurel Forest and the Priolo in Azores, was very satisfying”.

The Estagiar Program is very valuable and important, since it provides a work experience for young graduated people and represents a boost in their integration on the labor market.

The work in Graminhais helps the recovery of the Peatbog

During the summer, the Life Sustainable Laurel project team worked in the Planalto dos Graminhais closing drainage ditches to help the recovery of the peatbogs, throught increasing the retention and water infiltration. Also, some of the accesses opened inside the peatbogs, that became places of great water and erosion seepage, where closed.

Access path to the peatbogs with signs of erosion

To make this work possible it was necessary to reinforce the team with 5 more people and a machine that made practically all of the dykes that closed the drainage ditches and paths. To date, in this first stage of work, 105 dykes were built.


Around this time of the year, most dykes built until the end of the summer are already fulfilling their purpose, retaining part of the water and distributing the rest in a more homogenous way through the peatbogs. The dykes were built of terrain and then covered with vegetation, stayed on average with 3 to 4m long and about 90cm deep. In specific locations, like in the paths zone, some of the walls had to be a little bit bigger, though the largest one has about 70m long and in the deepest spot has about 1.50m.


This was, without a doubt, an extremely difficult work, however it’s already possible to see the results of these dykes construction and to notice that some of the dry parts have now more peatbog and in some areas the dykes have recovered in a remarkable way. We expect this to be a big step in the recovery of the Planalto dos Graminhais Peatbogs.

First germinations of the year in the project’s greenhouse!

In the beginning of 2012, we verified that the sowing done in 2011 had their first germinations.

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Sanguinho (Frangula azorica)

Some of the species where already pricked out to flower vases, where they can develop better. The best results verified were with “Sanguinho” (Frangula azorica) which took 2 months to germinate. In the case of the Laurel (Laurus azorica), the germination took only a month.

Laurel (laurus azorica)

In what concerns to the herbaceous, the “Patalugo” (Leontondon rigens), it took only 2 weeks to germinate. However, this result is very common, given that the herbaceous have a quick germination time and they require less time in the greenhouse.

Patalugo (leontondon rigens)