Marta Guerreiro highlights exchange between Macaronesian territories in landscape policies
The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism highlighted in Ponta Delgada the importance of exchanging and sharing experiences on the ground between the Macaronesian territories in terms of landscape policies.
Marta Guerreiro spoke Monday at the closing session of the 4th ITLA World Congress - Terraced Territories. On the occasion, she stressed that this initiative, after addressing the Canaries and Madeira, has now focused on the Azores over the last recent days, thus "continuing the important work on the current situation of terraced territories in Macaronesia."
"This is a very pertinent theme in the construction of landscapes, especially when it comes to render them inhabitable and integrate them into the living conditions of the populations in our regions, which share so many particularities in common," noted the government official.
According to the government official, "congresses such this are important in bringing together regions that have so much in common and have so much to benefit from these initiatives, seeing that the highlight the specificities of the identity of each region and islands."
The Secretary for the Environment reiterated that, through the public territorial policies, the Azores have taken "firm steps towards the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage," while promoting "a sustainable development."
In this regard, Marta Guerreiro recalled the implementation "of a pioneering legal document defining the quality goals and guidelines for landscape management in the Azores, as a relevant resource, from an environmental, social, cultural and economic standpoint." According to her, this is also "an important step in the promotion of landscape as a key component for collective well-being and sustainable development of the Azores."
The Regional Secretary highlighted the Pico Vineyard Culture Landscape, distinguished with the 2018 National Landscape Award, and the island of Santa Maria, which was included in the congress's field trips programme.
Marta Guerreiro considered that the São Lourenço Bay and Maia are "true symbols in terms of landscape value" for "the strong Man-Nature relation in the amphitheatre-shaped slopes covered by vineyards and divided by stone walls and terraces, which are only accessible by narrow roads and stone steps along the steep slopes."
"Whenever the slope makes it possible, small parcels of terraced terrain occur here, which provided a relevant economic contribution to the island in the past as well as to the humanisation of the landscape," recalled Marta Guerreiro.
"Despite their progressive abandonment due to economic reasons and lack of workforce, we are currently beginning a process for the recovery of barracks and terraces on Santa Maria, thus enhancing the value of this vineyard landscape," said the Regional Secretary.