Tronqueira : A Treasure to unravel

In the last weekend, SPEA Azores has organized another activity for the public of the island of São Miguel and in which 13 nature lovers participated. The activity “Tronqueira – A treasure to unravel” was thought for those who have curiosity in knowing more about the original forest of Azores – The Laurel Forest – and habitat of Priolo (the Azores Bullfinch), as well as all the work done in 10 years by SPEA and partners, in São Miguel, to preserve Priolo.

The morning started a little cold and with a dime light but with the continuation the conditions improved with the shy sunlight rays and the enthusiasm of the participants.

The road of Tronqueira is one of the areas of São Miguel where one can still find areas of this fossil forest as well as some interventioned areas by the LIFE project that is concluding this summer, coordinated by SPEA in Azores – Sustainable Laurel. This project has several partners such as the Regional Government, through the actual Natural Resources Secretariat and the Municipality of Povoação.

In this activity, it was possible to observe the evolution of areas recovered in the previous LIFE Priolo project (concluded in 2008) and conservation actions in areas of forest of low-mid and high altitude. About 350 hectares have been targeted in 10 years of work. In both projects 150 thousand endemic and native plants  have been used in these areas, some of which were seen in this activity.

It was a morning well passed with children and adults and in which Priolo, a bird that sometimes hides from sight, has not appeared.

SPEA thanks all participants, specially those who join the montly suggestions of activities  more often.

To get mores information about our activities, please register to receive our newsletter at http://centropriolo.spea.pt/en/azores-newsletter/

5th grade students visit the Projects Greenhouse

On April 17, students from the 5th grade of the Escola Básica da Povoação visited the nurseries of the LIFE+ Sustainable Laurel Forest Project, located in povoação. This visit is part of the Priolo's Environmental Center (CAP) School Program and has often been conducting various activities on the importance of the natural habitats of the Azores, with schools of the municipalities of Povoação and Nordeste.

The students form the class 5ºB

The students had the opportunity to get to know the tasks performed in the nursery production of native plants, from the collection of fruits and seeds in the forest, the different treatments to which they are subjected to be sown. In the seed boxes it was possible to see the plants that germinated, fruit of this work.

The Students from the class 5ºA

After germination, it was explained to the students that these plants are moved to pots and containers where they stay for a certain amount of time, which varies to the plant's rate of growth, and where they get to develop under the optimum conditions of temperature and humidity provided by the greenhouse.

After this phase and after the plant has reached some size, these plants are placed outside for an adjustment period for the minimum time of 3 months, and only after that will these endemic and native plants be ready to be planted in the natural habitats that are being recovered by the project.

SPEA thanks the students and the teachers for the interest shown. This was another contribution of the CAP and of the Life Sustainable Laurel Forest Project, to raise awareness  in the students about the natural habitats of Azores.

Birdlife International highlights Priolo's conservation in Brussels

Birdlife International promotes a meeting today, April 17, in Brussels aimed at technicians and the responsible sector of the European Commission under the topic "How can Nature leverage other sectors?". One of the highlights of this event is the Priolo's conservation, in the Azores, as an example of the economic impact that the nature conservation projects can have on local economies.

This meeting is organized by the European division of Birdlife International, joining the technicions from the conservation projects and responsible for the development and implementation of European policies on environment, agriculture, cohesion and marine. Thus it is intended to share best practices and results showing the importance of nature conservation in Europe as a way to develop other sectors in a more sustainable way.

The Priolo's conservation, which will be presented by the project's coordinator Joaquim Theodosius from SPEA, has been a good example of the importance of these projects to foster a comprehensive and more integrated the economies of the rural areas. The importance of the project is reflected for example in terms of job creation, with about 20 direct jobs annually in the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação, or on the over 150 companies already covered by the project in Azores, as well as its impact in the Region's GDP, estimated in 2008 at about € 350,000 of annual contribution. Also in terms of the recovery of natural areas that provide important services to the population (quality and quantity of water and soil protection, for example).



Another important aspect has been the promotion and dissemination of the Azores and its natural heritage that has been a major point of attraction on the tourist level. At this level there is the process that led to the awarding of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism to the Lands of Priolo (counties of Nordeste and Povoação), as well as the Priolo Brand (who has recorded 20 applications for membership from businesses). The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism and the Priolo Brand Priolo are excellent examples of good practice in the management of nature and public participation, allied to local development, being the subject of interest from several participants of this seminar. These participatory processes ongoing in the Azores are still quite pioneering in Portugal.

At the end of last week, the Ornithological Tourism in the Azores and the socioeconomic impact of the Priolo's conservation projects and its habitat in the region, were highlighted at the seminar organized by the Castro Verde League for the Protection of Nature devoted to "Tourism Potentials ornithological for sustainable development of rural areas in Portugal".

For Angelo Caserta, European Division of BirdLife International Director and knowledgeable of the Priolo's conservation project, "the work done to save the Priolo has been an example not only on preserving a European and world natural heritage but also in getting clear benefits for the local people". This is one of the five examples to be presented at the meeting today in Brussels to which for the Director of Birdlife are "examples to be repeated across Europe."

School Program takes students to visit the Laurel Forest

Last week, students from the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação visited the laurel forest accompanied by their teachers and some technicians from the Priolo's Environmental Center (CAP). This visit is part of various activities that constitute the CAP School Program "Knowing Ecosystems, Secure the Future," a partnership with SPEA and the Ciência Viva Agency.

Azorean Heather (Erica Azorica) 

In total, 36 students were able to discover the Laurel in a different way and in direct contact with many of the plants that are part of Priolo's Habitat in whitch he depends on to survive. On April 10, the students from the 10th grade from the Basic and Secundary School of Nordeste went to the viewpoint of Pelado in the locality of Fazenda in order to identify some of the plants that exist in this coastal forest. Having observed, among many others, the Fayatree and the Azorean heather. Later the group went to the priolo's Environmental Center where they observed the Altitude Laurel Forest, consisting on other species of endemic and native plants. Here we can find species like the Azorean Juniper, Azorean holly, Azorean Plum Tree, Buckthorn among others.

Labaçal - one of the interventioned areas by the Life Sustainable Laurel Forest Project

On the next day, Thursday April 11, it was time for a class from the Basic and Secondary School of Povoação, one of the counties that are part of the SPA Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme and where we can find Laurel forest. These students performed a slightly different route, having visited one of the first areas recovered by the LIFE Sustainable Laurel Forest Project. After a short walking route, these young povoacenses watched closely the result of the recovery actions developed by the team of SPEA and after the removal of the exotic plants, like Ginger Lily and Australian Cheesewood, they can more easily identify several endemic and native plants. In this activity, students identified species like Hawkbit, Lily of the Valley Tree, Azorean Plum Tree, Azorean Juniper, Azorean heather, Common Heather, among others that can be seen in this area located at the beginning of the Serra da Tronqueira near the regional road - Nordeste to Povoação.

Part of the class that made the "Discovering Laurel Forest" activity

The CAP team and the LIFE Sustainable Laurel Forent Project thank the participation of all the students and teachers being expected more of these activities in April and May.

Azorean Plum Tree (Prunus Azorica)

Learn more about the activities of the Center School Program HERE

Priolo Featured in a Seminar in Castro Verde

The Ornithological Tourism in the Azores and the socio-economic impact of conservation projects of Priolo and its habitat in the region, were yesterday, April 11, featured in the seminar organized in Castro Verde by the League for the Protection of Nature devoted to "Potential of ornithological tourism for sustainable development of rural areas in Portugal. "

The presentation was made by the coordinator of the LIFE Sustainable Laurel Forest Project, Joaquim Teodósio from SPEA, that beyond the potential of this region for tourism, addressed issues such as the result of ongoing work over the last decade, creating 20 jobs annually in the Counties of Nordeste and Povoação, over 150 regional companies already covered by the project itself and the impact on the GDP of the Azores, valued in 2008 at approximately € 350,000 of annual direct contribution.

Another aspect spoken was the process that led to the award of the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism on the Lands of Priolo (counties of Nordeste and Povoação), as well as the Priolo Brand (who has registered 20 applications for membership from businesses).

The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism and the Priolo Brand are excellent examples of good practice in the management of nature and public participation, allied to local development, being the subject of interest from several participants of this seminar. These participatory processes ongoing in the Azores are still quite pioneering in Portugal.

For more information visit:

http://www.lpn.pt/Homepage/Agenda/Proximos-Eventos/Events.aspx?olderEvents=false&tabid=2427&code=pt&ItemID=816

Peatbogs highlighted in Povoação

The School Program of the Priolo's Environmental Center and the Life Sustainable Laurel Forest Project continues to develop activities in the municipality of Povoação. In total, 56 students from the 8th grade of the Basic School of Povoação watched yesterday, April 8, 2013, a lecture on the peatbogs, their rarity and importance, held by one of the LIFE Sustainable Laurel Forest Project technicians involved in the recovery of this habitat in São Miguel, Rui Botelho.

The peatbogs occupy 3% of the land surface and have 10% of the world's fresh water available for humans. These figures show the importance of the peatbogs in water retention that takes on increasing importance nowadays. In Azores, this type of habitat could be found in the tallest points of all islands in the archipelago, with the exception of Santa Maria and Graciosa, but due to several factors it began to be increasingly rare. The main threats to this habitat are its conversion to grassland or Cryptomeria forest, creating access or drainage ditches, mobilization of land, by grazing animals, introduction of exotic vegetation and even trampling by visitors.

The LIFE project, developed by SPEA in São Miguel, interventioned about 75 acres of this habitat in the Planalto dos Graminhais, an area included in the SPA Pico da Vara / Ribeira do Guilherme and where it can be found areas highly altered and degraded by human activities and invasion of alien species that threaten the fragile balance of this habitat. Among the main invasive species include the Chilean Rhubarb Gunnera tinctoria, Tree Fern Dicksonia artica Madeira Sweet Pepperbush Clethra arborea, brambles Rubus sp. and the Hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla.

The students discovered a habitat that is close to them but for many of them, still unknown on what concerns to its function and understood the importance of protecting and developing recovery actions as heavy and slow as those carried out on the Planalto dos Graminhais.

The Life Sustainable Laurel Forest Project and the Priolo's Environmental Center thank all who attended this lecture and they invited everyone to visit this habitat so rare and important for the municipality of Povoação and Nordeste.

SPEA receives two new trainees in Azores

Since March that SPEA can now count on two new trainees. Juan Pedro Ruiz and Carles Fermi Jareño will collaborate on the Life Sustainable Laurel Forest Project and in the Priolo's Environmental Center, through the International Programme Eurodyssée.

Juan Ruiz, born in Alicante, Spain, graduated in Biology from the University of Murcia in 2010 and has a master's in Biodiversity Management in Mediterranean ecosystems (2011). He has Collaborated on some conservation projects, including the project Gypaetus in Cazorla and with SEO (Sociedad Española Oritológica) in a labor camp.

He will be part of the Life Sustainable Laurel Forest Project to support the conservation actions on the peatlands and in the greenhouse of endemic plants.

Juan Ruiz

Fermi Jareño was born in Valencia, Spain, he's an Agricultural Technical Engineer and is also a graduate in Environmental Sciences from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. In 2011, did an independent study on the Yellowstone National Park, describing its main features.

Currently he will collaborate with SPEA through the Priolo's Environmental Center.

Fermi Jareño

Both of them will be in São Miguel until August. SPEA gives them a warm welcome and hopes that their stay in São Miguel and in SPEA contributes very positively to their training.