Since April, that the team from the
Sustainable Laurel Life Project, is looking
to obtain more information about one of the most emblematic trees from
the azorian endemic flora, known has Azorean Juniper or Juniper (Juniperus brevifolia). This species and
their forest formations are protected nationally and internationally.
The Azorean Juniper is a key species in many
natural communities in Azores. His decline may have serious consequences in the
natural ecosystems, on the quality and quantity of the water resources, in the
soil retention and in the islands flora and fauna.
Juniperus brevifolia shrub-like
Nowadays the Azorean Juniper woodland was
reduced by human action. Since
inhabiting the islands that this species where exploited to feed the cattle, to
obtain vegetal coal, implementation of pastures and in the civil construction
and furniture.
With
this study we aim to get to know, in more detail, the species distribution area
and conservation status in the Special Protection Areal Pico da Vara/Ribeira do
Guilherme, in the municipalities of Povoação and Nordeste, the last patch of
natural vegetation of São Miguel’s island.
The
first phase of work is to identify the Azorean Juniper patches in Serra da Tronqueira,
Graminhais, Pico Verde, Pico da Vara and Pico Bartolomeu, among others, to do
so it was used a photo interpretation and validation on the field. After this
first phase is concluded it will be carried out a sampling from these populations
to determine their structure.
This work is being coordinated by Lourdes Peñil, a Forest Engineer from Universidade Politécnica de Madrid (Spain).
Pico Bartolomeu's observation
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