- Portais
Alonso Miguel opens works for Minimisation of Hydrological Risks in Grota da Lagoinha
Alonso Miguel delivers forestry equipment on Terceira island under LIFE IP AZORES NATURA Project
Regional Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Azores met on Terceira Island
Our islands are recognised for their high levels of environmental quality, so it is necessary to safeguard all their natural heritage through nature conservation and preservation, as well as mitigating the effects of climate change.
The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change has as its mission to ensure the maintenance of environmental quality, nature conservation, the protection of ecosystems, as well as the management of water resources and efficient spatial planning.
This department has established as a priority the focus on renewable energy production, strengthening the focus on energy microgeneration, and also intends to move forward with the transition to electric mobility. The improvement of efficiency in the prevention and management of waste in the Region will also be a priority.
We will also give special attention to the management of water resources and the protection of the most vulnerable and sensitive ecosystems. We will pursue effective spatial planning, landscape protection and environmental enhancement policies, integrating the civil society and involving local authorities as well as all economic agents.
We all have the duty to ensure our sustainability in the present without compromising forthcoming generations.
March 29, 2023
Alonso Miguel opens works for Minimisation of Hydrological Risks in Grota da Lagoinha
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, opened today the works for the minimisation of hydrological risks in Grota da Lagoinha, Terceira island. Alonso Miguel stated that this is "a relatively simple but strategic intervention, since, together with other interventions promoted by the Regional Government and this department, such as the redevelopment of Ribeira da Vinha Brava stream, also already completed, it aims to implement effective and technically adequate solutions to minimise flooding risks in the city of Angra do Heroísmo." The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change explained that "flood events in the archipelago are generally caused by flash floods, as a result of very intense rainfall, which is becoming increasingly frequent due to the effects of climate change. This is one of the areas of the city of Angra do Heroísmo that has been most affected by this type of phenomenon in recent years, causing overflows and floods in the grounds of the São Rafael Mental Institutions and in the ring road." Alonso Miguel explained that "the water of two hydrographic sub-basins flow into this area, which is the reason why this work comprised two separate interventions." "With one of the interventions, the aim was to reduce the flow of solid flows in the drainage sub-basin that ends at the rainwater collector located at the back of the São Rafael Mental Institution, which drains the water from pastures upstream. In this case, the solution involved the construction of a retention basin for solid flows and damping of liquid flows, so as to allow the drainage of flows through the collector without exhausting its flow capacity," he clarified. The Regional Secretary added that the second intervention "aimed to solve the flow of water in the drainage sub-basin that ends near the house that existed in the Ponta do Muro area, which was acquired and demolished by the Angra do Heroísmo City Council. It drains the water from the land to the west of the São Rafael Mental Institutions, which, under certain conditions, flooded the outer ring road of Angra do Heroísmo." "In this case, we opted for the construction of an infiltration well with an approximate capacity of 800 m3, which allows the collection of rainwater, with the conduction of the flow to this well being carried out, in a first phase, through a canal built with pipes and, in a second phase, after the retention of solid material in a transition basin, through a reinforced concrete canal to the well," continued the government official. Alonso Miguel also mentioned that "the construction work represented an investment of the Regional Government amounting to approximately 370 thousand Euros, with a completion period of 142 days. In fact, it is a very relevant intervention to mitigate natural hazards, namely overflow and flood events, thus improving the conditions for safeguarding the population and protecting property." The Regional Secretary thanked the Angra do Heroísmo City Council and the São Rafael Mental Institution for their collaboration in these works, namely for providing the necessary land for that purpose.
March 28, 2023
Alonso Miguel delivers forestry equipment on Terceira island under LIFE IP AZORES NATURA Project
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, delivered today forestry equipment on the island of Terceira, acquired under the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA Project, which is the first integrated LIFE project approved in Portugal and the largest nature conservation project ever designed for the Azores. Alonso Miguel stressed that "this project, which will run for nine years, has a global budget of 19.1 million Euros, co-financed by the European Union at 60%. It aims to make a significant contribution to the conservation of species and habitats protected by the Habitats and Birds Directives, namely 13 habitats and 24 species, covering all Natura 2000 Network sites on all islands of the Azores, both on land and at sea. According to the government official, "the area of intervention of the Project on Terceira island is quite extensive, with conservation actions covering about 341 hectares, spread over various locations, with special emphasis on Terra Brava, Furnas do Enxofre, Biscoito da Ferraria, Pico Alto and Tamujal, and Turfeira do Sanguinhal." The Regional Secretary stressed that "in addition to hiring seven operations assistants to implement the actions planned for Terceira Island, given the considerable size of the intervention area, but especially considering that a large part of the conservation and renaturalisation actions involve the removal of large exotic and invasive species, such as eucalyptus, acacias, or incense, it was necessary to proceed with the acquisition of a forestry tractor, including a set of implements, which today we put at the service of the Region. It will be under the management of the Environmental and Climate Change Services of Terceira island, being a fundamental tool to accomplish the project's goals." "Just to give an idea of the importance of this piece of equipment, for example, there is a forest production area with 3000 eucalyptus trees in the Pico Alto and Tamujal intervention area alone, which have to be removed for subsequent planting with native species such as heather, cedar and laurel," he added. Alonso Miguel also mentioned that this is "an investment of about 270 thousand Euros, which corresponded to the acquisition of a 135 hp forestry tractor, equipped with a forestry trailer and crane, forestry winch, shredder and sprayer." He also added that "two operations assistants from the Secretariat for the Environment holding a valid driving license for agricultural vehicles attended a 30-hour training course to operate the tractor and the respective implements." The Regional Secretary assured that, with this equipment, "it is now possible to fell and collect large trees in areas of difficult access, using the forestry winch, as well as to transport them, using the forestry trailer and the crane." In addition, "with the forestry shredder, all the branches, resulting from the felling of invasive and exotic plants, can be processed and transformed into chips on the spot, and it will also be possible to spray large areas of brambles, using the sprayer, which has a 600-litre capacity." The government official stated that "following the strong investments that have been made by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change, today we take another important step towards empowering the Regional Public Administration, in this case, for the protection and enhancement of our natural heritage."