The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated that the Regional and National Governments "are aligned" in the implementation of public nature conservation policies at a time when it is imperative to enhance knowledge on biodiversity and preserve natural heritage.
Marta Guerreiro spoke in Lisbon on the sidelines of a meeting with the Secretary of State of Nature Conservation, Forestry and Spatial Planning.
"This was the first contact with the Secretary of State, since the inauguration of the current Government, precisely so that we can continue what has been a path of proximity and joint work within these areas of competence," stressed the government official.
According to her, "it was a fruitful meeting as far as we addressed and discussed a series of important matters within the scope of regional policies and the actions implemented by the National Government.
In this context, it addressed issues such as the Region's access to the Environmental Fund for the implementation of projects towards the development of ecological services and increase of biodiversity in the Network of Protected Areas of the Azores as well as in the hydrographic basins of crater lakes.
Moreover, the need to review the nature watcher career status and the access to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) database were other issues under discussion at the meeting.
It was also agreed that the Regional Secretariat for Energy, Environment and Tourism would actively participate in the multiple initiatives promoted by that Secretariat of State, particularly in nature conservation, biodiversity and spatial planning, with the aim of including the archipelago's reality in the definition of national public policies for these strategic areas.