Pico vineyard culture landscape distinguished with international award

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Pico Island’s vineyard landscape has been awarded first prize in the “Best Development of a European Landscape of Cultural Relevance” category at the European Garden Awards. The landscape, which has been protected since 1996, and was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2004, was recognized this Friday by the European Garden Awards as “Best Development of a Cultural Landscape of European Relevance”, a category that awards interventions that “promote the safeguarding of natural and cultural values ​​and the qualification of relevant cultural landscapes, contributing to the revitalization of territory”, explains the note of the Azorean executive. Receiving the award, was at the ceremony held at the Schloss Dick Foundation in Dusseldorf, Germany, the director of the Pico Natural Park and the Technical Office of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture Landscape, Manuel Paulino Costa. The “exceptional example of adapting farming practices to a demanding environment” through “actions that protect geodiversity, biodiversity and cultural heritage and promote integrated architecture” motivated the organization to distinguish the vineyard landscape of Pico Island , which spans over 700 hectares. The vineyards are grown in small stone corrals that protect the grapes from wind and salt, in a tradition dating back to the 15th century, reaching a peak of production in the 19th century, before being abandoned due to diseases that affected crops and crops. desertification of the island. Cited in a press release, the President of the Azores Regional Government, Vasco Cordeiro, highlights the strategy that has enabled, “preserving and safeguarding the environment, mobilizing one of the main assets to help the development of our region.” The European Garden Awards are awarded every two years by the European Garden Heritage Network (EHGN), a network of partners from 14 countries. The selection by an international jury evaluates innovative implementation and management in urban development, sustainability and quality of services to visitors.

Azores with bronze status in EarthCheck tourist destination certification process

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The Regional Secretary of Energy, Environment and Tourism said today in Ponta Delgada that the Azores “already have the bronze status ‘Benchmarked’ of EarthCheck”, as a certifying entity for sustainable tourist destinations. “This is something we are very proud of because it reveals the first external recognition of a commitment that we work hard, with all entities, companies and people, positioning ourselves closer and closer to achieving the destination certification”, said Marta Guerreiro, who spoke at the opening of the ‘Green Team’ on the island of São Miguel. For the official, “this bronze seal is not a mere distinction, it is a small big step and shows the progress we have been taking and the current position of the Region compared to the rest of the world’s most sustainable destinations.” Thus, pointed out Marta Guerreiro, the Azores become the reference destination with “the highest percentage of habitat conservation area, with the highest percentage of green area, with the lowest percentage of thefts and robberies, where the waste indicators sent to landfill per person are lower than the average of this exclusive core of destinations and where the indicators of drinking, bathing and inland water quality are practically the maximum among all destinations ”. “This seal and these data prove that it is possible to make the Azores a region where sustainable development is an example worldwide, thus reinforcing the positioning of our destiny in these themes so emerging today,” he said. The tourism portfolio holder assured that the Government of the Azores is committed “in the next phase – the certification phase – which will take place through an audit based on the implementation of the destination’s sustainability policy”, with the intention of this year that the Region attains the certification of sustainable tourist destination. According to the Regional Secretary, this is “a commitment that we believe belongs to everyone, where we can make the difference between who will be in the past and who will have a leading role in building a better future in the Azores”. At the time, the ruler highlighted some stages of the certification process, including the creation of the destination coordinator, the development of a sustainability policy and the comparative assessment of environmental, cultural, social and economic sustainability performance, in addition to several projects, with emphasis on for the Azores Sustainability Charter, which has about 80 subscribers and over 300 public objectives, and for the ‘Green Teams’, as forums for monitoring the sustainability of the Azores tourist destination. “In practical terms, work has been done based on the fact that ‘you can only manage well, what you can measure’, so we have compiled the indicators needed to achieve a set of sustainability outcomes in areas such as energy, emissions study gases, water management, ecosystem conservation, transport, waste and cultural, social and economic management, ”he said, allowing for the status achieved this week.

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Azores Government holds “Green Teams” on all islands of the archipelago

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The Regional Secretariat of Energy, Environment and Tourism will promote the holding of a set of forums to monitor the sustainability of the Azores tourist destination, called “Green Teams”, in all islands of the archipelago. The first workshop will take place Thursday, August 29, on Santa Maria Island, followed by São Miguel (August 30), Terceira (September 3), Graciosa (September 4), São Jorge (September 5) , Corvo (September 9), Flores (September 10), Faial (September 11), and Pico (September 12). In this first round, it is intended to make known the principles and guidelines of the certification process underway through Earthcheck, to present the Destination Management Structure and its operation, as well as to highlight the importance of destination certification as a strategy to deepen the path towards sustainability. In these workshops, participants will analyze and define the priority performance areas on each island, discuss the actions to be implemented and the goals to be achieved. In this sense, they will embody the implementation of an Action Plan per Island, according to the respective areas of activity, namely energy management and efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, control of noise and light pollution, management of drinking water and wastewater and sewage resources, management and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, land planning and planning, transport, management of solid waste and harmful substances for the environment and social, cultural and economic management. The “Green Teams” aim to monitor, promote listening and reflection, issue opinions and make recommendations and suggestions on the certification process of the Azores as a sustainable destination, particularly on its planning, management and monitoring tools. These geographic forums are made up of entities representing local interests, such as local authorities, associations representing civil society, businesses and citizens.