An English class at the Environmental Center of Priolo!

Students in 11th grade and High School of the Northeast had a different English class to visit the Environmental Center Priolo, on the 24th October.

Instead of the typical school classroom, the students moved to the English Priolo Environmental Center where they received all the information in English about the Priolo, its Laurel Forest habitat, threats and conservation work carried out in this endemic bird and natural vegetation of the Azores.

In addition to visiting the center, the game was also carried out to identify plants 'Discovering the laurel' in the Garden of endemic, where students had the opportunity to learn about the plants that make up the natural forest of the Azores.

We were planting endemics!!

Last Saturday, October 22nd, we held another volunteering activity planting endemic species of the Azores. This time, with the help of 10 volunteers we planted about 150 of plants of Pau-branco (Picconia azorica) in Labaçal, an area that was intervened by project Life Sustainable Laurel with the removal of invasive species such as Yellow ginger lilly, Lilly of the valley tree and Australian Cheesewood allowing space for planting, thus contributing actively in the recovery of the laurel Forest of the Serra da Tronqueira.

The plants were produced in the plant nursery of the Project LIFE Sustainable Laurel, located in the municipality of Povoação, where so far have been produced and then planted over 50,000 plants of several species of the natural forest in the Azores.

We thank the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who participated in this action, hopefully they had a good day and continue to contribute to the success of these actions.

If you are interested in working with us in the conservation of natural forests of the Azores, be aware of upcoming activities in this www.centropriolo.com

And do not hesitate to contact us: centropriolo@spea.pt

II Forum approves Strategy

The Second Forum of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in the Lands of the Priolo allowed the approval of the Strategy for the Development of a Sustainable Tourism (EDTs) for the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação and had important representation of entrepreneurs in the tourism sector and the entities responsible for the territory.

The Second Forum of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism was held on 14th of October in the municipality of Nordeste with the presence of 28 participants, representing 12 companies related to tourism in the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação and partner organizations in this process.

The Forum works allowed the approval of the Strategy for Sustainable Tourism, based not only in the sustainability principles advocated by the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, but also on the proposals contained in the first Forum (held in May in the municipality of Povoação) of all agents who participated in the social process. This process is being promoted by the Regional Directorate of Environment, under the LIFE- Sustainable Laurel and is developed by this organization and also by the Regional Directorate for Tourism, the Regional Directorate for Forest Resources, City Hall of Nordeste, the Portuguese Society for Study of Birds (SPEA), SPRAçores and Association for the Promotion and Rural Development (ASDEPR).

The Strategy includes the following objectives: implementation of a coherent network of hiking trails in the two municipalities (considered the highest priority objective for all participants), the disclosure of Lands Priolo integrated as a tourist destination in the destination Azores, promote the diversification of activities for the knowledge of the region and its culture, training of tour operators in tourism and sustainability issues, ensuring the continuity of the participatory process that gave rise to this strategy, recovery of traditions and traditional uses and creation of thematic routes, revitalization of traditional use in restorants, establish a coherent system of numbers and measurement of tourist satisfaction, improve communication by public transport between villages and Ponta Delgada, promotion of events that promote the natural and cultural characteristics of the area, and encourage the creation and legalization of structures of private accommodation. The conservation of protected areas on the territory is another general purpose inherent in this process, the implementation of this Charter is a way to reconcile the promotion and conservation of natural heritage with its enjoyment by the people.

As part of this Forum was also established a prioritization of the objectives included in this strategy, through the vote of all participants.

After the approval of the Strategy by all present at the Forum, several actions were proposed to be developed in the territory, which will serve to prepare a Plan of Action to be implemented by various partners over the next five years and should contribute to achieve the objectives expressed in the Strategy.