During this first planting season in the new SPEA intervention area in “Mata dos Bispos”, 28,000 native plants from the Azores were placed on the ground. The planting was carried out with a variety of tree species, structuring the Laurissilva Humid forest, namely the Laurus azorica, Morella faya, Picconia azorica, Prunus azorica, Frangula azorica, Ilex azorica, Myrsine retusa, Viburnum treleasei, Juniperus brevifolia. Shrub species such as Erica azorica and Calluna vulgaris and herbaceous species such as Festuca francoi, Leontondon rigens and Luzula purpureosplendens were also planted.

This plantation is part of the ecological restoration process around the junction of the water lines that make up the headwaters of Ribeira Lomba Grande. This area had a high level of biological invasion, with practically 100% of the species present being Invasive Alien Species.

The intervention in this area included, in a first phase, the control of invasive alien species (mainly Hedychium gardnerianum, Pittosporum undulatum, Acacia melanoxylon and Clethra arborea), followed by the construction of structures to control erosion and facilitate the water recovery process of water courses on the banks and beds of the water lines.

These structures, based in the context of the restoration of rivers and streams in mainland Portugal, have already been tested in the LIFE + Terras do Priolo project and adapted to the characteristics of the volcanic soils of the Azores. This integral ecological restoration will allow not only the recovery of a feeding area for Priolo, through the planting of species that serve as food, but also the recovery of the natural hydrological cycles of the stream, increasing infiltration and reducing erosion risks.

SPEA started work within the scope of the LIFE IP Azores Natura project in July 2019, this being the first planting season to be carried out under this project. By 2027, the project’s completion date, we expect to have recovered more than 100 hectares and planted a total of 450,000 native plants from the Azores.