The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Secretariat for Energy, Environment and Tourism, will start the works on the evaluation of the Coastal Management Plan of Terceira Island (POOC). A team of technicians of the Regional Directorate for the Environment will travel to this island, where several hearing meetings will be held local entities.
In this context, the team will also work in the field, covering the general area of intervention of POOC. It aims to verify the existing maps and identify possible problems in the application of rules on this territorial management tool.
Although the Azores have a legal framework to promote integrated management of the land/sea interface space, the Regional Government considers that the good management of this area implies evaluation processes, starting with the Coastal Management Plans approved over a decade, in order to assess their efficiency and effectiveness and, consequently, decide on the need for their amendment or revision.
In 2013, the Government moved forward with the assessment of S. Jorge POOC, whose report is available for consultation on the Azores Territory Development Portal.
The first works to draft these special tools came into force in 2005 with the publication of the POOCs of Terceira and S. Jorge Islands and the North Coast of S. Miguel Island.
In 2007, the POOC of the South Coast of S. Miguel Island was approved and those of the islands of Santa Maria, Graciosa, Flores and Corvo in the following year. In turn, the POOCs of Pico and Faial were approved in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Interested citizens can make suggestions and/or ask for clarifications throughout the Terceira POOC evaluation process, through the form available for this purpose on the Azores Territory Development Portal (http://ot.azores.gov.pt).
Further information is available at the Territorial Planning Division of the Regional Directorate for the Environment in Ponta Delgada or by the telephone number 296 206 700.