Planting of endemic trees on São Miguel Island is further evidence of the Azores' commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, says João Ponte
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry participated today in the planting of a hundred Azorean endemic trees near the Contendas artificial pond on the island of São Miguel. Coordinated by IROA - Regional Institute of Agrarian Planning, this initiative is another evidence of the Azores' commitment to achieve carbon neutrality and adopt sustainable development principles in the archipelago.
"This is, undoubtedly, a meritorious initiative that reveals the Region's effective concerns with the sustainability of the environment surrounding us, the preservation of nature and with the obligation we all have to contribute to leaving future generations a better world," said João Ponte. As he also emphasised, "there have been environmental concerns in the agricultural sector for a long time."
The government official highlighted that this initiative falls within the scope of the Azores Sustainability Charter, promoted by the Regional Government, which aims to support the implementation of sustainable development goals and commitments, involving various sectors of activity.
IROA, S.A. is one of the various entities that joined this Charter. Besides planting trees, it has pledged to reduce energy consumption by 10% in 2020 by replacing halogen lamps with LEDs and raising awareness for a conscious use of agricultural water, thereby reducing waste.
João Ponte also noted that the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry has implemented initiatives with a view to sustainability and carbon neutrality. In this regard, he highlighted the creation of a working group, involving partners in the sector, to define a specific plan for agriculture and forestry.
"We intend to have an action plan in the Azores to reduce GHG emissions (greenhouse gases) and contribute to carbon neutrality. It should be in line with the environmental goals of the next common agricultural policy," said João Ponte. If agriculture is part of the problem when it comes to climate change, it is also part of the solution, because a third of the territory consists of forest and pastures occupy over 90% of the archipelago's useful agricultural area.