Nature Park of Terceira

Nature Park of Terceira (Parque Natural de Terceira)
Terceira Nature Park
Nature park (Parque Natural)
The tallest point on the island of Terceira, and centerpiece of the Terceira Nature Park
Official name: Parque Natural da Ilha de Terceira
Country  Portugal
Autonomous Region  Azores
Group Central
Island Terceira
Municipality Angra do Heroísmo
Cities Angra do Heroísmo, Praia da Vitória
Location Terceira
 - elevation 500 m (1,640 ft)
 - coordinates 38°42′25.39″N 27°12′12″W / 38.7070528°N 27.20333°WCoordinates: 38°42′25.39″N 27°12′12″W / 38.7070528°N 27.20333°W
Highest point Santa Bárbara
 - location Serra de Santa Bárbara, Serreta, Angra do Heroísmo
 - elevation 298 m (978 ft)
 - coordinates 38°44′46″N 27°21′56″W / 38.74611°N 27.36556°W
Lowest point Sea level
 - location Atlantic Ocean
 - elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Length 30.11 km (19 mi), Northwest-Southeast
Width 19.5 km (12 mi), North-South
Area 400.28 km2 (155 sq mi)
Biomes Temperate, Mediterranean
Geology Alkali basalt, Tephra, Trachyte, Trachybasalt
Orogeny Volcanism
Period Holocene
Plant Laurasilva
Founded Decreto Legislativo Regional n.º 11/2011/A
Date 20 April 2011
Management Secretário Regional do Ambiente e do Mar
 - location Rua Cônsul Dabney - Colónia Alemã, 140, Horta, Faial
 - elevation 28 m (92 ft)
 - coordinates 38°32′2″N 28°37′45″W / 38.53389°N 28.62917°W
Owner Regional Government of the Azores
For public Public
Easiest access Multiple
The location of the various protected areas that constitute the Nature Park of Terceira
Website: http://parquesnaturais.azores.gov.pt/pt/terceira/parque-natural

The Nature Park of Terceira (Portuguese: Parque Natural de Terceira, or simply the Terceira Nature Park (PNTER) developed from the intention of better managing the protected areas of the island of Terceira, and was instituted by the Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e do Mar (English: Regional Secretariate for the Environment and Oceans), of the Autonomous Regional Government of the Azores. It includes an area of approximately 22% of the island classified under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Nature Reserve designation.

History

The Terceira Nature Park was established by legislative decree No.11/2011/A, on 20 April 2011, which reformulated the juridical classification, management and administration of the Azorean areas of protection.[1][2]

Local environmentalists participated in the first bat census between 2–7 July 2012, in an area that covered 20 different localities.[3] It was part of the Mais Endémicas: plantar o futuro (More Endemics: Planting the Future), which involved the inventory and monitorization of bat species, in collaboration with the ICNB.[3] In addition, training was provided in order to allow participants to identify the animals not only by morphological characteristics, but also vocalization.[3] The analysis deteremined that of the four species registered in the Azores, there exists only two common species: the Azorean bat (Nyctalus azoreum) and Madeiran bat (Pipistrellus maderensis)".[3]

On 19 July 2011, the director of the Nature Park accompanied by project coordinator of Geoparque Açores received an evaluation committee from the Rede Europeia de Geoparques (EGN) and an observer from UNESCO.[4] During that day, in addition to visiting the historic centre of Angra (which included the Church of the Misericórdia, Monte Brasil), the group evaluating the Terceira Park visited, the Algar do Carvão, the Furnas do Enxofre, Guilherme Moniz volcano and Lajes Graben (five of the eight principal geosites on the island).[4] Between 15 and 19 July 2011, the evaluation committee also visited five other island in order build links with the Azorean archipelago, visit other sites, experience local traditional, education and geo-tourism activities, as well as meet with the local population.[4]

Visiting the Furnas do Enxofre in 2011, the Secretário Regional do Ambiente e do Mar, Álamo Meneses, inaugurated the forest ranger station on the summit of the Serra de Santa Bárbara, which would serve as the first interpretive centre for the Park.[5] In addition to obtaining information about the park, the site would host photographic exhibitions and display various species of endemic flora and fauna. In addition, the regional secretary inaugurated the new pedestrian trail in Biscoitos, a trail that followed the vineyards of the Paisagem Protegida da Vinha dos Biscoitos (Protected Landscape of the Biscoitos Vineyards), using many of the old channels and accesses to wine properties. The trail allows hikers to follow the ancestral routes used by wine-growers that helped to develop the economic activity of the island.

Geography

Pico Alto, an integral part of the central Nature Reserve of Biscoito da Ferraria and Pico Alto
The shrub bush of the Protected Resource Management Area of Guilherme Moniz Caldera, showing the crater rim
The shoreline of the Protected Landscape of Contendas Point
The coastline and Cabra islets, which are the primary elements of the Protected Landscape of the Cabras Islet

Approximately 22% of Terceira's land area, or 400.28 square kilometres (154.55 sq mi), was integrated into the nature park, in order to create conditions for a coherent and integrated management plan. The park is guided by the principals of conservation that includes delimited spaces for nature, humans landscape use and natural resources exploitation, based on scientific criteria/guidelines established for the classification of environments at the international, national, regional and local levels.[6]

The Terceira Nature Park is actually a dispersed reserve that encompasses several individual areas of protection. Those areas classified as Nature Reserves (Portuguese: Reserva Natural):

Specific Natural Monuments (Portuguese: Monumentos Naturais) protected by law for their paigestic or natural landscape include:

Areas classified for the Protection and Management of Habitats or Species (Portuguese: Área Protegida para a Gestão de Habitats ou Espécies):

Areas classified as Protected Landscapes (Portuguese: Paisagem Protegida):

Areas classified for the Management of Resources (Portuguese: Gestão de Recursos):

See also

Protected areas of the Azores

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Diário da República (20 April 2011), p.2355
  2. ↑ ALRA, ed. (2011), Parcer sobre Parque Natural da Terceira (in Portuguese), Horta (Azores), Portugal: Assemblia Legislativa Regional dos Açores, retrieved 15 November 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Parque Natural da Terceira acompanha visita aos principais geossítios da Terceira (in Portuguese), Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Portugal: Secretária Regional do Ambiente e do Mar (SRAM), 7 July 2011, retrieved 6 October 2012
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Parque Natural da Terceira acompanha visita aos principais geossítios da Terceira (in Portuguese), Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Portugal: Secretária Regional do Ambiente e do Mar (SRAM), 19 July 2011, retrieved 6 October 2012
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Governo cria estruturas de apoio ao Parque Natural e novo trilho na Terceira (in Portuguese), Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Portugal: Secretária Regional do Ambiente e do Mar (SRAM), 2011, retrieved 6 October 2012
  6. ↑ SIARMA (2011)
  7. ↑ Diário da República (20 April 2011), p.2359
  8. ↑ Diário da República (20 April 2011), p.2360
  9. ↑ Diário da República (20 April 2011), p.2363
  10. ↑ Diário da República (20 April 2011), p.2364
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Diário da República (20 April 2011), p.2365
Sources