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Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação
Drone use has been "powerful ally" in environmental conservation, highlights António Ventura
Drone use has been "powerful ally" in environmental conservation, highlights António Ventura
Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação
Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food celebrates International Day of Forests
Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food celebrates International Day of Forests
Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação
LIFE POLLINIZAÇORES project approved, highlights António Ventura
LIFE POLLINIZAÇORES project approved, highlights António Ventura
May 28, 2025
Drone use has been "powerful ally" in environmental conservation, highlights António Ventura
March 21, 2025
Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food celebrates International Day of Forests
March 5, 2025
LIFE POLLINIZAÇORES project approved, highlights António Ventura
News
Nota de Imprensa
May 28, 2025
Drone use has been "powerful ally" in environmental conservation, highlights António Ventura
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, highlighted today that the use of drones has been a "powerful ally in environmental conservation, forest planting and a powerful tool in the conservation of natural resources." "Drones can fly over large areas of forest and produce high-resolution aerial images," he pointed out. The Regional Directorate for Forest Resources and Spatial Planning (DRRFOT) has acquired a drone with a LIDAR sensor, which has assisted in the automatic estimation of tree counts, the measurement of heights and better definition of logging routes. "In 2022, the assessment of the calculation of the carbon retention of Azorean forests began, which is expected to be completed in 2027. It is important to emphasise that forests are the terrestrial ecosystems with the greatest capacity for storing carbon," said António Ventura. One of the biggest constraints concerning the use of cartography is the rapid outdating of basic elements (aerial photography, orthophoto images, etc.), given the dynamics of changes in land use. Producing such maps using traditional methods, through the acquisition of new aerophotographic coverage, proves to be extremely costly in the Region, as it is necessary to move resources (aircraft, crews), which, given the weather conditions, may be unable to produce results for several weeks. Furthermore, the production of maps in areas with difficult access and adverse topographical conditions is much more efficient with this equipment than with conventional GPS surveys. This innovation will continue to be a decision-support tool in various areas of the DRRFOT's activity, namely in the management of cuts in the forest perimeter, licensing processes for felling private forests, afforestation projects, forest inventory, and management of the forest and rural road network. It is also intended for the preparation and monitoring of Forest Management Plans, in addition to the daily activity of the Forestry Services. The need for new remote sensing technologies to produce, for example, digital terrain models for drawing up flood risk maps, biomass availability maps or other maps will only be possible with the use of LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors, a laser scanning system used globally in geodesy, archaeology, geography, geology, geomorphology, seismology, forestry engineering, coastal oceanography, remote sensing and atmospheric physics.
May 28, 2025
Drone use has been "powerful ally" in environmental conservation, highlights António Ventura
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, highlighted today that the use of drones has been a "powerful ally in environmental conservation, forest planting and a powerful tool in the conservation of natural resources." "Drones can fly over large areas of forest and produce high-resolution aerial images," he pointed out. The Regional Directorate for Forest Resources and Spatial Planning (DRRFOT) has acquired a drone with a LIDAR sensor, which has assisted in the automatic estimation of tree counts, the measurement of heights and better definition of logging routes. "In 2022, the assessment of the calculation of the carbon retention of Azorean forests began, which is expected to be completed in 2027. It is important to emphasise that forests are the terrestrial ecosystems with the greatest capacity for storing carbon," said António Ventura. One of the biggest constraints concerning the use of cartography is the rapid outdating of basic elements (aerial photography, orthophoto images, etc.), given the dynamics of changes in land use. Producing such maps using traditional methods, through the acquisition of new aerophotographic coverage, proves to be extremely costly in the Region, as it is necessary to move resources (aircraft, crews), which, given the weather conditions, may be unable to produce results for several weeks. Furthermore, the production of maps in areas with difficult access and adverse topographical conditions is much more efficient with this equipment than with conventional GPS surveys. This innovation will continue to be a decision-support tool in various areas of the DRRFOT's activity, namely in the management of cuts in the forest perimeter, licensing processes for felling private forests, afforestation projects, forest inventory, and management of the forest and rural road network. It is also intended for the preparation and monitoring of Forest Management Plans, in addition to the daily activity of the Forestry Services. The need for new remote sensing technologies to produce, for example, digital terrain models for drawing up flood risk maps, biomass availability maps or other maps will only be possible with the use of LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors, a laser scanning system used globally in geodesy, archaeology, geography, geology, geomorphology, seismology, forestry engineering, coastal oceanography, remote sensing and atmospheric physics.
Nota de Imprensa
March 21, 2025
Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food celebrates International Day of Forests
International Day of Forests is being celebrated today, March 21, with various activities organised by the Regional Directorate for Forest Resources and Spatial Planning (DRRFOT). These awareness-raising activities aim to highlight the importance of forest ecosystems on all the Azorean islands except Corvo and are organised in conjunction with schools, local authorities, environmental non-governmental organisations and companies. They will include the planting of endemic species produced by the forestry services' nurseries, hiking in nature areas, awareness-raising activities and visits to forestry dissemination centres, involving approximately 3,300 participants throughout the autonomous region. Over the years, forests have been synonymous with human survival, fundamental as a supplier of food, shelter, fibres, wood and fuel for heating and energy. With the progress of scientific knowledge in ecology in the last few decades of the past century, forests have gained prime importance through social recognition for their provision of ecosystem services, such as recreational and leisure purposes, carbon sequestration and storage, regulation of the hydrological cycle, conservation and biodiversity, pollination, soil protection, air purification and oxygen release. Moreover, they create jobs and generate income that contributes to the social and economic development of local populations, based on environmental responsibility principles. The celebration of this day is an opportunity to reiterate the importance of forests as ecosystems that harbour an immense biodiversity of flora and fauna, in addition to playing a fundamental role in climate regulation. However, forests are under threat from a variety of causes, most notably deforestation and forest degradation, which is the greatest current concern for governance worldwide. Deforestation and forest degradation are advancing at an alarming rate around the world. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that every year we lose 10 million hectares of forest on the planet (EU Regulation 2023/1115). According to the FAO (2024), we also lose about 340 million to 370 million hectares of the planet's surface to forest fires every year. These, in extreme cases, negatively affect sustainable development and generate large volumes of greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation and forest degradation, major drivers of global warming and biodiversity loss, are the greatest environmental challenges of our time. DRRFOT intends that these activities promote knowledge and awareness of forest-related issues so that the population can also be a pillar in the conservation and management of forest areas. With everyone's effort, we will be able to increase the resilience and adaptation of these spaces to the challenges of the coming decades.
March 21, 2025
Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food celebrates International Day of Forests
International Day of Forests is being celebrated today, March 21, with various activities organised by the Regional Directorate for Forest Resources and Spatial Planning (DRRFOT). These awareness-raising activities aim to highlight the importance of forest ecosystems on all the Azorean islands except Corvo and are organised in conjunction with schools, local authorities, environmental non-governmental organisations and companies. They will include the planting of endemic species produced by the forestry services' nurseries, hiking in nature areas, awareness-raising activities and visits to forestry dissemination centres, involving approximately 3,300 participants throughout the autonomous region. Over the years, forests have been synonymous with human survival, fundamental as a supplier of food, shelter, fibres, wood and fuel for heating and energy. With the progress of scientific knowledge in ecology in the last few decades of the past century, forests have gained prime importance through social recognition for their provision of ecosystem services, such as recreational and leisure purposes, carbon sequestration and storage, regulation of the hydrological cycle, conservation and biodiversity, pollination, soil protection, air purification and oxygen release. Moreover, they create jobs and generate income that contributes to the social and economic development of local populations, based on environmental responsibility principles. The celebration of this day is an opportunity to reiterate the importance of forests as ecosystems that harbour an immense biodiversity of flora and fauna, in addition to playing a fundamental role in climate regulation. However, forests are under threat from a variety of causes, most notably deforestation and forest degradation, which is the greatest current concern for governance worldwide. Deforestation and forest degradation are advancing at an alarming rate around the world. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that every year we lose 10 million hectares of forest on the planet (EU Regulation 2023/1115). According to the FAO (2024), we also lose about 340 million to 370 million hectares of the planet's surface to forest fires every year. These, in extreme cases, negatively affect sustainable development and generate large volumes of greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation and forest degradation, major drivers of global warming and biodiversity loss, are the greatest environmental challenges of our time. DRRFOT intends that these activities promote knowledge and awareness of forest-related issues so that the population can also be a pillar in the conservation and management of forest areas. With everyone's effort, we will be able to increase the resilience and adaptation of these spaces to the challenges of the coming decades.
