Created by the Regional Legislative Decree n.º 19/2008/A, São Miguel Natural Park (PNISM) includes all the 23 classified protected areas of the island (from Nature Reserves to Natural Monuments and Protected Landscapes) considering their natural values in a perspective of balance between nature conservation and promotion of economic activity through the sustainable use of resources. The Natural Park constitutes a management unit of these protected areas and is included in the Regional Protected Areas Network of the Azores Autonomous Region.
The Lands of Priolo encloses several protected areas that gather an important portion of the Azorean natural heritage. They represent 51% of the territory, while the total area of the PNISM represents 29% of the island’s territory. Therefore, the Lands of Priolo concentrate a big portion of the protected territory of São Miguel.
These natural sites include high altitude areas, with Laurel Forest sectors in good state of conservation; coastal riffs, marine protected areas and geosites. Therefore, these areas include a set of representative habitats of the Azorean archipelago.
The protected areas included in São Miguel Natural Park and Lands of Priolo are:
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