The Students of the University of Azores visited the Project Life Sustainable Laurel

This last November 26th about 30 students of the second year of Biology, from the University of the Azores visited the project Life Sustainable Laurel. This visit was part of the celebrations of the 18 years of SPEA and had also intended to commemorate the International Day of Indigenous Forest.

These students were divided into two groups that were able to perform various tasks related to the project. In the morning, a group, performed tasks in the plant nurseries of the project, located in Povoação, treating seedlings.

In the afternoon they had the opportunity to visit the various areas of intervention of the project in Serra da Tronqueira. The second group visited the intervention areas of the Project in Nordeste.

These biology students ended the day with a visit to the Exhibition "With bones in your Hands", in the exhibition room of Nordeste.

This visit aimed to raise awareness of the biology students at the University of the Azores, to the problem of invasive plant species and the importance of producing native plants for their subsequent planting in different areas.

Conservation tactics on SPA Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme

On November 24, the youth of the Sports Union of Nordeste decided to visit the Environmental Center of Priolo, before their weekly training, to relax and learn more about the natural heritage that surrounds them.

This visit lasted an hour where they learned the correct tactics leading to victory concerning the preservation and conservation of Priolo and the Laurel forest in particular and of biodiversity in general.

During the lecture the players realized that to win this league you need the greatest care not to let get away the invasive species such as the Yellow ginger lilly, Australian cheesewood or Lilly of the valley tree as this may dictate the defeat, but instead attack in support with native and endemic species such as Azorean blue berry, azorean cedar and azorean holly. Using the open spaces that the opponents, the invasive species, leave is the perfect tactic to come out winners, and in the end everyone realized that this is a difficult but possible league to win if you have everyone's support.

After a difficult league, nothing like drinking and cool off with a healthy water; that's where our friends come, the Turfs of the Planalto dos Graminhais that allow the existence of water throughout the year in this municipality, which are also in need of conservation actions as they were being degradated due to human activities such as grazing.

In the end, we hope that these young athletes went with the tactics well studied!

Students celebrate the Day of the Indigenous Forest

The 23th of November is synonymous with the International Day of Indigenous Forest.

This date was celebrated by the project Life Sustainable Laurel with an activity of awareness about the importance of the native forests of the Azores, the Laurel Forest. This Day of Indigenous Forest is an important one as it highlights the need to conserve natural forests - which is the primary objective of the Project LIFE Sustainable Laurel.

It was in this context that the Project Life Sustainable Laurel promoted a planting activity with the students of the School of Povoação.

The classes present in the activity and their teachers had the opportunity to visit the plant nursery of the Project located in Povoação and then they went to Serra da Tronqueira, to one of the intervened areas of the project, where they learned more about the Native Forest of Azores. This is where they planted about 230 endemic plants of the laurel forest, including Piconnia azorica, Azorean heather, Hawkbit, Cape myrtle and Faya.

The promise of carrying out more activities in partnership with the School of Povoação in the ambit of the project Life Sustainable Laurel was made, aiming to promote among children and young people of this municipality, a better understanding of the nature that surrounds them.

The Environmental Center of Priolo participated in the V Journeys of Infancy

This past Friday, November 18th the Environmental Center of Priolo participated in the V Journeys of Infancy that took place at Teatro Ribeiragrandense, attended by about 130 kindergarten teachers, teachers of the 1st cycle, educational helpers, cultural animators, nannies and further 70 students of the Professional and Secondary Schools of Ribeira Grande. These Journeys were organized by the Center of Social Support and Shelter - C.A.S.A under the theme Learning is Investigating.

André Batista, coordinator of the Environmental Center of Priolo announced a presentation entitled 'Conservation of natural habitats in the Regional Education' which stressed the importance of natural biodiversity of Azores in the Regional Education and the importance that such knowledge has for its conservation and preservation. Most of all intended to demonstrate that scientific concepts, knowledge and values ​​can be transmitted in clear simple and concrete language, suitable for all levels of education and skills through educational and recreational activities and environmental education projects. He also stressed the importance of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) through the Environmental Center of Priolo under the project Life Sustainable Laurel in the education and awareness for the conservation of biodiversity in the Azores.

Among the speeches there was still time for brief experiments, carried out by the "Fun Science".