Press release - Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

In view of the concerns raised and publicly demonstrated by the Flores Island population regarding the free access to and enjoyment of the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro (stream), in Fajã Grande, and the proper management of the protected areas within the Flores Island Nature Park, the Regional Government promoted a public information session on Wednesday. It took place at the Lajes das Flores Municipal Museum and was attended by the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel.

Following a visit to Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and the aforementioned public information session, the Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, hereby announces the following:

1. The Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro is an extraordinary natural heritage site in the Region. It is part of the Central Zone and West Coast Cliffs Protected Landscape Area within the Flores Island Nature Park, as it is one of the main tourist assets of Flores Island and one of the most emblematic landscapes of the island and the Region;

2. The Regional Government, through the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, has been closely monitoring and assessing the situation carefully, with sensitivity and understanding of the legitimate concerns expressed by the population and visitors, and for this reason, it considered that promoting a public clarification session, in a context of proximity and transparency, was essential;

3. In the context of this visit to Flores Island, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, accompanied by owners of the land surrounding the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and several interested citizens, had the opportunity to visit this emblematic site once again, with a view to making an on-the-spot assessment of the management, maintenance and intervention conditions there;

4. During the session, which lasted about four hours, all the concerns raised by those present were addressed and the appropriate clarifications were provided on all the questions raised;

5. The Regional Government, through the Environment and Climate Action Service, will outline the entire visitation area, based on a survey conducted during the visit to Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, in the run-up to the public information session;

6. The cleaning, maintenance and management of the visitation area of the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro will be entrusted to the operational teams of the Flores Environment and Climate Action Service;

7. The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action reiterated his assurance that access to and enjoyment of the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro visitation area will remain free of charge, without any ban, restriction or conditioning;

8. The owners of the land surrounding the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, who were present at the session, declared that they had no intention of banning, restricting or limiting free access to and enjoyment of the visitation area;

9. Some of the owners of the land surrounding the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, present at the session, expressed their commitment to contact the Regional Government to exercise their right of first refusal in the event of any future intention to sell their private land;

10. Before the public information session, landowner Andrea Pinto expressed her intention to donate her private property in the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro visitation area to the Autonomous Region of the Azores, intending to make it public;

11. During the visit to the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, landowner Andrea Pinto also declared that her knowledge of the permitted, forbidden and conditioned actions on her private property, which is part of the Central Zone and West Coast Cliffs Protected Landscape Area within the Flores Island Nature Park, specifically in the area known as "Margaça," under the terms of the applicable territorial management instruments and the legislation in force;

12. During the public clarification session, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action declared to all those present that, at any time, if the use of private property within the Central Zone and West Coast Cliffs Protected Landscape Area, or other protected areas under the terms of the Flores Island Nature Park, becomes incompatible with the preservation or management goals underlying the respective classification, the Regional Government will not hesitate to use the legal instruments at the disposal of the Regional Public Administration to ensure that the public interest prevails;

13. With a view to ensuring the preservation of this unique natural heritage, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action stated that different mechanisms and instruments are being considered to improve the conditions for the protection of the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and other natural assets within the Central Zone and West Coast Cliffs Protected Landscape Area, according to landscape, environmental, geological and cultural criteria;

14. The felling of invasive species specimens that took place within the Central Zone and West Coast Cliffs Protected Landscape Area was duly authorised by the Flores Forestry Service, following a favourable opinion from the Regional Government department with jurisdiction over environmental matters;

15. However, with the aim of ensuring landscape integrity, the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action has committed to reevaluating the criteria applicable to clear-cutting vegetation in the vicinity of sensitive areas within the Central Zone and West Coast Cliffs Protected Landscape Area or in other protected areas within the context of Island Nature Parks;

16. The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action will continue to monitor this situation closely and attentively, promoting appropriate surveillance and working closely with the various parties involved, with a view to guaranteeing the preservation and enhancement of Flores Island's natural heritage;

17. The Regional Government welcomes the extraordinary response of the local population to this public information session, which demonstrates their concern and commitment to preserving Flores' natural heritage and landscape, making an important contribution to properly informing the population about access to and enjoyment of the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro and the management of the protected areas within the Island's Nature Park.