Implants of sphagnum tufts on the drain ditches in Planalto dos Graminhais

After some study and preparation, it began during the first week of April the tests to implant sphagnum tufts on the drain ditches in Planalto dos Graminhais.

After the drain ditches construction and some adjustments on the water outflow, the team project responsible for the recovery of the peatbogs of Planalto dos Graminhais started testing some techniques to accelerate the peatbogs recovery in some of the most degraded areas. One way of foing this is by using the sphagnum tufts collected in the near areas and setting them in the intended place.

The purpose is that these implants help recover the peatbogs in the degraded areas, like in the old path.

 We hope to have more good news for you soon!

Life sustainable Laurel gathers executive comission

On the 27th of february, in the Life Sustainable Laurel headquarters, in Lomba do Carro, Povoação, the executive commission of this project gathered once again.. This commission integrates all the Life project partners and meets quarterly to discuss and plan the actions that are being developed. With the project getting to an end by the end of the year, the next few months represent a lot of work and new developments.

Besides the technicians from the different partners of the project, the Regional Director for the Environment, João Bettencourt and the São Miguel Natural Island Park’s Director, Hélia Palha, were also present.

During this meeting, the project team showed the progress accomplished on the last months, highlighting the work done for the recovery of the Peatbogs of the Planalto dos Graminhais and the application to the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism. At discussion were also the activities planned to 2012, the last year of the project. During this year, there is a lot of work yet to be done and new updates will certainly arise, in terms of the work done to the conservation of the habitats and on the awareness and support actions for sustainable tourism.

On the next day, the Sustainable Laurel Project team had a meeting with Raquel Ferreira, from the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, and together they defined some actions to be included on the São Miguel Natural Island Park’s Management Plan, concerning the SPA Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme.

This collaboration is possible due to the fact that the Life Sustainable Laurel Project takes place in this SPA. These circumstances enable the SPEA technicians’ team with a deep knowledge about the Special Protected Area and can contribute in a more accurate way to her maintenance. The proliferation of the invasive flora species is the greatest threat to the conservation of the important natural habitats on this area of the São Miguel Natural Island Park.

You can learn more about this project and actions by visiting http://life-laurissilva.spea.pt

Peatbogs in Planalto dos Graminhais were visited by scottish specialists

During the last week of February, the Sustainable Laurel Project received Norman Russell, manager at Forsinard Flows nature reserve in Scotland that is part of RSPB in the United Kingdom, and Alexander Payne, who is part of the British Bryological Society, a specialist in Bryophytes. They visited all the conservation actions accomplished in the Planalto dos Graminhais since 2011.

This trip had the purpose of visiting the work developed on the recovery of the Peatbogs area in Planalto dos Graminhais. During this week in the island of São Miguel, Norman and Alexander got to know the different intervention areas of the project and other natural areas of the island and spent most of the time with the project team discussing the progress made in the Graminhais area.


Norman Russell has given an important support to the planning of actions that have been carried out, following at close the project since 2010. Norman has a lot of experience in the area andis responsible for the managing og 20.000 ha of peatbog area in Scotland, being an excellent addition to the ongoing work of the Sustainable Laurel Project. In this visit, it was possible to see the results of the work done during the 2011 spring and revaluate and plan new actions for 2012. Alexander Payne also nelped the project, by sharing its knowledge about this kind of habitats. And was an excellent contribution to an adequate development of the work that is yet to come.

Throughout these days, 20 Bryophytes species were identified, of these 4 are Sphagnum sp. and 3 of these species have an important role on the vegetation recovery of Graminhais.


It’s worth noticing that Norman Russell visited São Miguel for the first time in 2010 to help coordinate the initial work of recovery of the Peatbogs. And has already visited the project three times since then and is very pleased by the progress done on the project. In turn Alexander Payne was on his first visit to the archipelago and was delighted with Graminhais and the island of São Miguel and promised to come back again.

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.