The Regional Secretariat for Energy, Environment and Tourism, through the Regional Directorate for the Environment, will be at Expomar 2019 with a stand dedicated to LIFE IP AZORES NATURA and LIFE VIDALIA regional projects. The event will take place at the Marina of Horta between August 4 and 11 in the context of the Sea Week celebrations.
This space is intended to disseminate the mission of these two projects co-financed by the European Union's LIFE programme as well as their actions, species, habitats, areas of intervention and main expected results, through the exhibition of projects and the promotion of biodiversity conservation in the Azores Natural Parks.
In this context, workshops will be held for children aged between 5 and 12 with the aim of disseminating the importance of preserving the natural heritage of the Azores Islands; admission is free.
The activities “Azorean Bat and Birds - Play and Learn” “Azorina vidalii & Company” and “Create your Azorina vidalii” are scheduled to be held between August 5 and 9 from 7 to 9 PM.
“Azorean Bat and Birds - Play and Learn” is a workshop based on craft activities and educational games about the archipelago's fauna, with special emphasis on the Azorean bat as well as on the species and subspecies of native Azorean birds. The primary aim to make participants acquainted with the Region's biodiversity in terms of fauna, raising children's awareness for its preservation.
“Azorina vidalii & Company” is a game in which participants will have to identify native and endemic plants that are found in the coastal habitat of Azorina vidalii, one of the target species of LIFE VIDALIA project.
This activity intends to raise children's awareness for the need and importance of preserving the Azorina vidalii species and other plants living in its habitat.
“Create your Azorina vidalii" is a craft activity in which participants will create "Azorina vidalii" using reused materials. It will enable children to become familiar with the morphological characteristics of this species, while making them aware of the importance of preserving this and all Azorean species.
The LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project - Active Protection and Integrated Management of the Natura 2000 Network in the Azores has as its main goal to implement the Priority Action Framework for the Natura 2000 Network (2014-2020), thus contributing to the conservation of species and habitats protected by the Habitats and Birds directives; it covers all Natura 2000 sites in the Azores
In turn, the LIFE VIDALIA - Recovery and Innovation programme is primarily intended to improve the conservation status of two Azorean endemic species: Azorina vidalii and Lotus azoricus.
The Sea Week is a municipal event dating back to 1975. It was firstly organised a reception hosted to welcome the participants of an international regatta that linked Portsmouth, England, to Faial Island, becoming an important nautical and cultural event that annually mobilises thousands of people.
The Regional Directorate for the Environment stand may be visited on Sunday, August 4, between 2:30 PM and 12 AM and on the remaining days between 7 PM and 12 AM.