page_title: Protected areas of the Azores
section_title: Context
hierarchical_section_title: Protected areas of the Azores / Context
caption_attribution_description: English: Reserva Florestal de Recreio do Capelo, 2 concelho da Horta, ilha do Faial, Açores, Portugal Português: Reserva Florestal de Recreio do Capelo, 2 concelho da Horta, ilha do Faial, Açores, Portugal
context_page_description: The Protected Areas of the Azores are the basic administrative-territorial and conservation structures in the archipelago of the Azores and the surrounding oceans. The areas integrate the entirety of the Azores within its Exclusive Economic Zone, as well as the surrounding waters, under the international agreements and conventions. The network realizes the categorization of management for protected areas adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, adapting it to the specific geographical, environmental, cultural and political-administrative territory of the archipelago.
context_section_description: The archipelago is a region of volcanic landscapes with a strong terrestrial and marine biodiversity, marked by its place relative to continental Portugal, exhibiting a group of peculiar characteristics of great interest to conservationists. Various factors contribute to this interest: its insularity, climate and geology, which ferment ecological conditions that are distinct to Portugal.
  The area, which has been populated since the 15th century, has several ecosystems and habitats with an elevated diversity of flora and fauna species. Of the endemic species characteristic of the islands: 68 are vascular plants, nine bryophytes, 49 gastropods, 267 insect species, spiders, centipedes, crustaceans and arachnids, in addition to one mammal and two endemic bird species. Bird species in the Azores, primarily migratory species, are usually found along the coastal islets and volcanic rocks, constituting important habitats. There are 46 bird species in the Azores, 33 that use the archipelago as a rookery, nesting periodically throughout the year. The other species are found within the forests in the interior, including some Laurasilva forests. Marine biodiversity is encapsulated within an area that includes the islands' tidal zones until the abyssal plain, registering 460 species of fish, across 142 families. In addition, five of the seven species of the known oceanic turtles migrate within the waters of the archipelago, including the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta, considered an important marker for species habitat preservation.
  In each of the nine islands there are rare and diverse ecosystems, marked by volcanic calderas, lava fields, caves, pit caves, fumaroles, reefs, water courses and geological fissures. Each of these biotopes area characterized by the presence of multiple species and habitats, including various which are subject to the Natura 2000 convention on habitats (such as Council-Directive 92/43/CEE 21 May 1992, regarding the preservation of natural habitats for wildlife and plants). Similarly, the protection of migratory and wild species of birds is framed within the European bird convention.
  Given the diverse habitats and ecosystems that exist in the Azores, and following the expansion of the Natura 2000 into Azores, the Regional Government sought to implement an environmental model which was based on management criteria with uniform set of designations, in order to classify protected areas. Using the island as the territorial management unit the Government of the Azores proceeded to overhaul the legal system that governed protected areas in order to classify, manage and administer protected areas in the region. This was accomplished by Regional Legislative Decree 15/2007/A, 25 June 2007, subsequently amended by the rectification 79/2007, 21 August 2007.
  In this context, and taking into account the obligations under the European Union, the OSPAR, the Ramsar and the implementation of nature conservation policies at the national level, resulted in the creation of a network of Protected Areas of the Azores, which has the following objectives:
  To identity and value of each terrestrial or marine protected area;
  To establish mechanisms for conservation, preservation and management of ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, natural resource and scientific use;
  To contribute to the development of a network of natural conservation, that encompasses the protection and safeguarding of natural resources and values;
  To create manageable units for protected areas of each islands and surrounding sea.
  In order to achieve these general objectives, the Protected Areas of the Azores pursued the following management goals:
  To promote and manage resources and natural and cultural values;
  To enhance the natural, cultural and built environments, regulating and intervening in order to mitigate its degradation;
  To promote awareness, monitoring, conservation and dissemination of environmental values thereon;
  To foster culture-based environmental information, interpretation and participation of organizations and citizens;
  To promote tou
caption: Some of the parks in the Azores integrate not only environmental elements but also human spaces, such as this traditional home in the Capelo Forest Park, island of Faial
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "SONY DSC", "Image Make": "SONY", "Image Model": "DSLR-A100", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2011:01:20 21:19:11", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image PrintIM": "[80, 114, 105, 110, 116, 73, 77, 0, 48, 51, 48, 48, 0, 0, 0, 6, 0, 1, 0, 22, ... ]", "Image ExifOffset": "404", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1134", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5103", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "9", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Landscape Mode", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:08:27 15:07:21", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:08:27 15:07:21", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "8", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "381/50", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "361/100", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "18", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[1936, 1296, 329, 393]", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3872", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2592", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1008", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "27", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Landscape", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal"}