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!

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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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

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/