The Government of the Azores will invest 1 million euros (ME) in interventions in the Recreational Forest Reserves, within the scope of a candidacy to the Azores 2030 program, which envisages actions on several islands, the executive revealed today.
“We want to preserve endemic species, raise awareness of the wealth of our botanical heritage, and reinforce environmental education, promoting an ever closer relationship between the populations and the forest,” explained the regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, during a visit to the Capelo Recreational Forest Reserve on Faial Island.
The interventions planned under the ValorFloraAzor candidacy aim to improve access to the recreational forest reserves, the leisure areas, the information available to visitors, user safety and the visitation conditions of these public spaces, the regional government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) said in a statement.
The official visited the Capelo Forest Reserve accompanied by the regional director of Forest Resources and Territorial Planning, Nuno Sousa, to assess the current conditions of the reserve and to learn about the work carried out by the Faial Forest Services in its maintenance, conservation and valorization.
Integrated into a forest perimeter of about 80 hectares, the Capelo Recreational Forest Reserve stands out for the diversity of its vegetation cover, which includes species characteristic of Macaronesia, and for the range of facilities destined for public use.
“The Capelo Reserve is Faial’s showcase, reflecting its natural assets and its multifunctionality in service of people,” emphasized António Ventura on the occasion.
The interventions carried out by the Faial Forest Services cover picnic and barbecue areas, the children’s park, the walking trails, the deer enclosure and the traditional rural house, reinforcing the conditions for leisure, sport and environmental education activities and for contact with the island’s natural and rural heritage.
“It is also fair to recognize the daily work of our Forest Services, whose dedication is essential to ensuring the maintenance of these spaces and the conservation, protection and valorization of the natural heritage of our islands,” concluded António Ventura.
The Capelo Reserve is the most sought-after Recreational Forest Reserve on Faial by residents and tourists, including organized groups and passengers on sightseeing bus tours, and by 2026 it is estimated to have welcomed more than 17 thousand visitors.
The Azores have 27 Recreational Forest Reserves, distributed across eight of the archipelago’s nine islands, occupying an overall area of approximately 570 hectares.
These spaces receive around 400,000 visitors annually, underscoring the importance of this network for public enjoyment, environmental education, and the valorization of natural heritage.
The enhancement of Recreational Forest Reserves also involves ongoing work in forest conservation, planting of species, rehabilitation of infrastructures, and production of plants intended for the recovery of natural habitats, he concluded.
