The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture stated in Angra do Heroísmo that the defence of the Azores natural heritage "is a priority" and "an imperative."
Avelino Meneses spoke at the opening of the seminar on "Climate change and cultural heritage," adding that it is important to leave the message that "heritage is the cause and our reason for being here."
All this is important to search for "the best bases of understanding and the best means of intervention" towards the development of "heritage protection policies that guarantee the transmission of heritage from the past to the future."
For the Regional Secretary, it is necessary to further "insist" on research in light of the work carried out, for example, by Afonso Chaves and José Agostinho, so that the existence of the University of the Azores "may guarantee that this will be done in the future."
Avelino Meneses also highlighted the mobilisation of young people for the cause of heritage as "a major goal," particularly through the inclusion of cultural heritage themes in teaching and research at a time when the European Year of Cultural Heritage is being celebrated.
This seminar is organised by the Azorean Government, through the Regional Directorate for Culture, an entity under the administration of the Regional Secretariat for Education and Culture. The initiative brings together specialists, who will discuss in the regional public sphere the consequences of climate change and subsequent problems.
The seminar on "Climate Change and Cultural Heritage" falls within the initiatives promoted by the Regional Directorate for Culture under the European Year of Cultural Heritage that seek to reflect on cultural heritage in the community and build a concept of shared responsibility. This event closes a series of three seminars that were held with the purpose of discussing matters concerning UNESCO's world heritage, the use of cultural infrastructures by a wider and more diverse audience, and the preservation and safeguarding of heritage for future generations.