Scientific community has been fundamental in defining and implementing marine conservation policies, defends Regional Director for Sea Affairs
The Regional Director for Sea Affairs stated in Ponta Delgada that, despite the existing scientific knowledge about the Azores, "there is still much more to be discovered," stressing that "new discoveries are made in all scientific campaigns."
As example, Filipe Porteiro pointed out "the recent discovery" of the hydrothermal vent designated as "LUSO" on "Gigante" seamount by the oceanographic expedition "Blue Azores Expedition." He also mentioned the "incredible coral gardens or the exquisite marine life forms" discovered off Faial Island by the Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation.
The Regional Director spoke at the international conference on "Marine Research and Knowledge in support of Policy Making and Society. Deep Sea Research as a Case Study" under the Annual General Meeting of the EurOcean Association. The event is organised in partnership with the Regional Government, bringing together eighty participants from eight countries.
Filipe Porteiro defended that the "Azores are the ideal place to research the wonders of the deep sea, which is really close to the islands. In this scenario, the most international research teams in the Azores are experts on open-sea and deep-sea ecosystems."
"The knowledge produced by our researchers has been used to support regional policies for the sea,” the government official said, noting that the interconnection between marine sciences and maritime policy "has been very beneficial."
According to the Regional Director, fisheries, maritime tourism activities, inert extraction and bioprospecting are some of the economic activities that "benefit from the existing scientific knowledge."
"The scientific monitoring programmes supported by the Regional Government have been crucial for compiling data used by researchers and policy makers," stated the government official. According to him, the partnership with the regional scientific community has been "fundamental" in defining and implementing marine conservation policies in the Azores, which aim at the sustainability of human activities at sea.
"Despite the limitations of the Azores as a small outermost region in the national and European context," the Regional Government continues to promote and support marine sciences, through the Regional Directorate for Science and Technology and the Regional Fund for Science and Technology, and other financial mechanisms and programmes. In this regard, the Regional Director defended the "importance of scientific knowledge to sustain the policies implemented."
In his speech, Filipe Porteiro also stated the Regional Government "is committed" to continue increasing the Blue Growth in the archipelago, based on ecosystem approaches that include available scientific knowledge. This strategy follows international guidelines and complies with the guidelines issued under the EU Maritime Integrated Policy and the new UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
"We know the vulnerability of our marine ecosystems and, consequently, the importance of having active practices that guarantee the sustainability of our maritime activities," defended the Regional Director.