Regional Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development assesses Government's initiatives aimed at nature protection and waste management - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

Last Friday, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, chaired the Regional Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CRADS) at the Terceira Island Youth and Arts Academy in Praia da Vitória.

Among the various items on the agenda, besides a presentation of the situation regarding the implementation of LIFE projects underway in the Region, key documents were presented, such as the Management Plans for the Nature Parks of Corvo, Flores, São Jorge, Graciosa, Terceira and Santa Maria, as well as the Legal Framework for Specific Waste Streams in the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

Regarding the Management Plans for the Nature Parks on the islands of Corvo, Flores, São Jorge, Graciosa, Terceira and Santa Maria, the Regional Secretary explained that "these laws aim to ensure the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity." He noted that the "Management Plans for the Nature Parks on the islands of São Miguel, Pico and Faial have already been approved and are being implemented."

"These are essential documents for the protection of habitats, endemic species and landscapes, guaranteeing the maintenance of ecological processes and the preservation of the geological and biological heritage. They comply with the provisions of the Regional Legislative Decrees that led to the creation of each Island Nature Park," he said.

Alonso Miguel added that "each of these plans is made up of a regulation, which sets out the rules for the management and human use of the terrestrial areas of the respective Island Nature Parks, with a view to minimising environmental impacts and promoting the sustainability of ecosystems, zoning and conditioning plans. They also include a technical report, which defines the management goals and a series of management measures for the type of protected area in each nature park, as well as a monitoring programme intended to follow the evolution of the state of the ecosystems and the degree of implementation of the respective management measures."

Regarding the Legal Framework for Specific Waste Streams in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Alonso Miguel stressed that ‘this document represents the culmination of a revision process of the main regional regulations concerning Waste Management to adapt regional legislation to the significant developments that have taken place in the meantime at a Community level. This made it possible to develop the new Azores Waste Prevention and Management Programme - PEPGRA 20+, approved in 2023, and revise the General Waste Prevention and Management Scheme for the Region, whose proposal has already been approved by the Council of the Government and will now be considered by the Regional Parliament. It also led to the creation of the Agenda for the Regional Circular Economy, approved in February 2025."

The Regional Secretary explained that this proposed revision "intends to establish and strengthen measures to protect the environment and human health, with a view to preventing or reducing the adverse impacts arising from the production and management of specific waste streams, such as packaging, oils, tyres, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators, end-of-life vehicles, furniture and mattresses.

"With this initiative, all the specific waste streams will be integrated into a single law, extended producer responsibility will be extended to new waste streams, and the amounts paid by management organisations to municipalities will be reviewed to cover not only the additional costs of selective collection but all the costs associated with the end of life of packaging," he added.

Alonso Miguel also presented a proposal to revise the regulations for access to the Vila Franca do Campo Islet to regulate kayak access. This entails "defining specific areas for the movement and permanence of kayaks during the bathing season, with the establishment of load capacity limits by restricting the number of boats and simultaneous visitors, and the implementation of procedures and rules for this practice in this protected area. The latter aspect is fundamental to ensuring a balance between the enjoyment of the area and the preservation of the natural heritage."

The meeting also included a proposal to revise the regulations on motorised vehicle traffic in Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo and on the PR1SJO section of the trail as well as the decree approving the list of identified coastal bathing waters and setting the duration of the bathing season in the respective bathing areas for 2025 in the Azores.