The Ecological Recovery Project of Furnas Crater Lake Hydrographic Basin on the island of São Miguel was awarded the National Landscape Award 2012, a distinction awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Sea, Environment and Spatial Planning, through the Directorate-General of Planning, revealed the Regional Secretary for Natural Resources.

With this prize, the Ecological Recovery Project of Furnas Crater Lake Hydrographic Basin will represent Portugal at the Landscape Award, an initiative promoted by the Council of Europe; the application will be submitted on December 10.

The Autonomous Region of the Azores was also placed second in this national competition with a project on the Landscape of Capelinhos Volcano on Faial island.

According to the Regional Secretary for Natural Resources, these two distinctions evidence "the investment made by the Azorean Government in spatial planning, protection, conservation and enhancement of natural heritage.”

For Luís Viveiros, the Region, once again, has distinguished itself in the area of environment at a national level. The government official considered that this award contributes to the external promotion of the Azores as a tourist destination.

The Azorean application titled "Furnas, Laboratório de Paisagem" (Furnas, Landscape Laboratory) includes a summary of the intervention project in Furnas Lake Hydrographic Basin as well as information on the landscape and project.

It also contains base concepts, various interventions carried out in the field, sub-projects and the numerous partnerships that have ensured the success of all landscape planning interventions.

The Landscape Award of the Council of Europe was created by the European Landscape Convention with the purpose of distinguishing the implementation of a policy or a series of measures aimed at the protection, management, planning of landscape that prove to be effective for maintaining sustainability and promoting the involvement and awareness of civil society.