The Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea said at the Furnas Monitoring and Research Centre that the natural parks of each island are being disseminated through a promotional campaign that started on São Miguel on Friday.

When presenting the programme "Natural Park - Partners for Sustainability," Álamo Meneses defended that business entities may qualify as partners of Island National Parks in business areas such as tourism, transport, the agri-food and restaurant sectors.

In this context, the government official announced the creation of a voucher scheme for the clients of regional natural parks' partners so that they may benefit from discounts on visits to these nature conservation areas, located outside urban areas.

Furthermore, the Regional Secretary mentioned that natural parks' partners will also have the opportunity of creating their own visit packages which are typically are associated with hotels, restaurants and, in some cases, with trips. In this context, tourists may have the possibility of purchasing a trip to the Azores which already includes visits to the structures of the Island Natural Park.

The archipelago's biodiversity and geodiversity are elements of our identity and heritage that require a careful, permanent and sustainable management in order to pass this legacy to forthcoming generations.

To preserve this precious natural treasure, the Regional Government of the Azores has created the Island National Parks in the archipelago.

This structure allows the management of territory-oriented diversity conservation as well as the sustainable use of natural resources in order to boost tourism and the well-being of populations.