Regional Director for Sea Affairs defends gradual increase in geolocation and remote sensing for monitoring
The Regional Director for Sea Affairs defended in Horta the need for a "gradual increase" in the use of geolocation technologies and remote sensing to "boost the efficiency" of surveillance and supervision in vast and remote areas of the Azores Marine Park .
Filipe Porteiro spoke on the sidelines of the meeting of the Advisory Board of the Azores Marine Park, which analysed topics such as the development of a plan to regulate the use of marine protected areas, including research, fisheries, maritime tourism activities, geological prospecting and exploration, biotechnology and underwater archaeology.
"The possible activities to develop within the Azores Marine Park need to adopt specific regulations and codes of conduct that promote the sustainable exploitation of resources, respect for environmental values," said Filipe Porteiro, who is also the Director of the Azores Marine Park.
"Scientific studies are relatively intense in some areas of the Marine Park, which are often visited by research cruises," said the government official.
The Advisory Board of the Azores Marine Park met following the unanimous approval of the new conformation of the Azores Marine Park by the Legislative Assembly that now covers 17 protected areas. The respective legislation was published in the Official Gazette on July 19.
The Azores Marine Park includes hydrothermal fields in shallow and deep-sea areas, seamounts of different types, specific zones of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and important surface areas for seabirds.
All areas of the Marine Park are located beyond territorial waters (12 miles); some of which are outside the 200-mile area in the extended continental shelf.
The Advisory Board of the Azores Marine Park is a body composed of the Director of the Park and 11 advisers, comprising regional entities in the areas of fisheries, science and technology and tourism as well as national entities, such as the Maritime Department of the Azores and the Territorial Command the National Republican Guard.
Moreover, this body also includes a representative of the University of the Azores and a representative of regional fishing associations, two representatives of environmental non-governmental organisations, and also a representative of the international scientific community with acknowledged expertise in the Exclusive Economic Zone beyond 12 nautical miles.
The Council also provides for the inclusion of a representative of the OSPAR Convention.
With the aim of involving citizens interested in the management of this important marine environmental conservation tool, the Council proposed the preparation a publication on the Regional Marine Park that will be disseminated among the population.
The Advisory Board of the Azores Marine Park will meet on January 16, 2017.