The Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, established a set of measures to improve the operating conditions of the Berlengas Nature Reserve, to reinforce the protection of its ecosystems and to ensure that the revenues generated by visits to the island directly contribute to nature conservation, announced by the Office of the Minister of Environment and Energy in a statement.
According to the same source, the measures are contained in a decree already published in the Diário da República, which establishes new obligations for the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), with concrete deadlines for their implementation.
One of the priorities is to improve the working conditions and the stay of the nature wardens and technical teams on Berlenga Island. The ICNF must ensure year-round electricity supply, the availability of a vessel for regular and safe transport of workers, supplies and equipment, as well as a vehicle suitable for land travel on the island.
The decree also determines improvements to housing conditions, safety, and communications, to ensure that the teams have the means needed to perform their duties and to protect the Reserve.
Another major measure is the revision of the “BerlengasPass,” the island access system, which should become simpler, more efficient, and transparent, with greater rigor in charging and in the control of revenues, as well as in monitoring visitor numbers and the Reserve’s capacity limits.
The Government also determines that a portion of the revenues generated by the “BerlengasPass” be directly allocated to conservation and ecological restoration actions for the Berlengas Nature Reserve. To this end, a mechanism for earmarking funds will be created, identifying priority interventions, an execution calendar, and monitoring of investments.
“The Berlengas are a unique natural heritage that we have the responsibility to protect. We want to ensure that the revenues generated by visits to the island effectively go back to its conservation and restoration. At the same time, it is essential to guarantee dignified and safe conditions for the nature wardens and the teams who, throughout the year, work to protect this territory,” said the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho.
The decree sets deadlines for the implementation of these measures. ICNF has 15 days to present a status report and a timetable for the execution of operational improvements on the island. Within 30 days, it should present an action plan for the revision of the “BerlengasPass” and the use of revenues in the conservation of the Reserve.
The Institute must also present a report detailing the revenues generated by the “BerlengasPass” in the last four years and identifying how they have been used.
Ecological restoration interventions should be coordinated with the National Plan for Nature Restoration, within the national and European commitments to restore degraded ecosystems.
With these measures, the Government aims to strengthen the protection of the Berlengas Nature Reserve, improve the working conditions of the teams responsible for its conservation, and ensure that tourism activity contributes effectively to the preservation of this natural heritage.
