Government provides new multimedia contents in "Feeling and Interpreting the Azores Environment" Portal
The "Feeling and Interpreting the Azores Environment" Portal is an online database of multimedia contents on the environment and nature conservation available at the electronic address http://siaram.azores.gov.pt/_novos-conteudos.html. It will feature new contents that may be freely used for educational purposes.
Managed by the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Environment, through the Regional Directorate for the Environment, this portal was built for educational and promotional purposes and is intended to become an especially useful tool in schools.
The portal also aims to provide accurate information, but accessible to all those who are interested in learning more about biodiversity and geodiversity of the Azores as well as the Man-Environment relation in the use of natural resources in the archipelago.
The contents available on SIARAM are updated on a regular basis, through a collaboration established with the University of the Azores (UAC). The portal now covers topics on marine ecosystems and resources and their biodiversity.
In this first phase, the focus is placed on "fish, molluscs, mammals, arthropods, Reptiles, Cold Water Corals, Algae and Seamounts," featuring photos and video testimonials from researchers of the departments of Oceanography and Fisheries and Biology at the University of the Azores.
The portal also features new contents on Península do Capelo, (Faial), Madalena Islets, Pico Mountain and Lajido de Santa Luzia (Pico), Pedreira do Campo, Ponta do Castelo and Poço da Pedreira (Santa Maria) and the Central Volcanic Mountain Range (São Jorge). All geosites are located within the Azores Geopark.
With the provision of contents on José do Canto Garden, located in the city of Ponta Delgada, the Government has completed the approach to the most important gardens of the Azores, which include the Duke of Terceira Garden on Terceira, Antonio Borges Garden, Santana Palace Garden and Terra Nostra Park on São Miguel.
The documentary on the application of “Fajãs” of São Jorge to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is also available on the portal. This work is being followed by a survey of the "Fajãs" located in the archipelago.
Those who are interested may consult the contents on several Fajãs: Calhau, Ribeira Quente and Povoação Coast (São Miguel), Vasco Martins, Rasa, Manuel Teixeira, João Dias, Bodes, Saramagueira, Cavalete, Ginjal, Além Sul, Fragueira, Mero, Penedia, Ouvidor, Entre Ribeiras and Labaçal (São Jorge).