An effective waste management and biodiversity preservation are essential for the sustainability of the archipelago, stated the Regional Director for the Environment in Praia da Vitória on Monday.
João Bettencourt spoke during the seminar on “Tourism and Environment,” promoted by the Praia da Vitória City Hall through the municipal company Praia em Movimento.
The Regional Director reminded that “our natural resources” are one of the main assets of the Azores “in not the most important.”
The preservation of this natural heritage requires “an effective waste management on all islands” and in order to achieve this goal “the Regional Government is carrying out a major investment” to be continued next year.
“It is a fundamental aspect,” concerning “our environmental liability, the implementation of such management on all islands with the collaboration of the population and local authorities in order to reduce the risks for future generations,” stated the Regional Director.
The PRECEFIAS programme (Regional Plan for the Eradication and Control of Invasive Species in Sensitive Areas), implemented six years ago, is another type of activities carried out by the Azorean Government in the preservation of biodiversity, involving an annual budget of 500,000 Euros to protect the natural flora.
For João Bettencourt, the establishment of the Regional Network of Protected Areas in the Autonomous Region of the Azores is as a key step as this network groups protected and classified areas, adjacent or overlapping, in “territorially contiguous patches with a clear classification, thus resulting in a more effective management and an efficient use of protected areas in the Region.”
The Network comprises the Island Natural Parks and Marine Park of the archipelago of the Azores.
Concerning tourism and environment, the Regional Director defended that these are different realities which may coexist, such as other economic activities.
“The development of tourism and economy activities and environmental protection are compatible and complementary goals,” stated the Regional Director for the Environment.
This is “sustainable development” which is based on the principle that “it is possible to maintain a growth pace without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, whenever there are a series of changes in society, considering the environment as a scarce resources that must be properly managed,” stressed João Bettencourt.
“In the case of tourism, this idea is reflected on ‘sustainable tourism’ which aims to achieve a balanced position that allows the tourism sector to operate based on a criterion of long-term profitability, but not at the expense of natural, cultural or ecological resources, added the Regional Director.