The LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project, coordinated by the Regional Secretariat for Environment and Climate Change, was present at the Graciosa Nature Park’s advisory board, with the purpose of reporting on the work carried out to date, as well as the work to be developed during the current year.
It is important to mention that the project has established monitoring work to 200 nests and 30 artificial shelters for seabirds distributed between the islets of Praia and Baixo, as well as the removal of invasive species on those areas.
Also, as part of the project’s conservation actions, prospection work is being continued on target species throughout the island, to identify the threats faced by each of the populations and install control measures.
It is worth mentioning that, between 2022 and 2023, 236 individuals of Crithmum maritimum and 42 individuals of Myosotis maritime were planted in Praia islet, while Azorina vidalli was also reinforced, with the plantation of 180 individuals in Ponta de Restinga and 50 individuals in Baía dos Homiziado, in order to increase the conservation status of these populations that have been showing a decline in these areas.
Recently, the target species Myosotis maritima was successfully propagated in Faial Botanical Garden, for the future increase of this species’ populations in Graciosa island, and the project’s signalisation was also newly installed in the intervention areas of Ilhéu Praia and Ilhéus de Baixo.
The participation of LIFE IP AZORES NATURA in the advisory councils of each Nature Park fits in the Project’s Action F4, being an essential tool for the consultants to follow the management and implementation of the actions in each one of the islands.