Azores to spend 1 million euros on forest recreation reserves
Azores GuideAccess, picnic areas, visitor information and safety at the islands' 27 forest parks are to be improved. Capelo on Faial is estimated to have had more than 17,000 visitors this year.
The Azores Regional Government will invest 1 million euros in the islands' forest recreation reserves, with work planned on several islands. Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food António Ventura announced the project, called ValorFloraAzor and funded through an application to the Açores 2030 programme, during a visit to the Capelo Forest Recreation Reserve on Faial.
The work is to improve access to the reserves, their leisure areas, the information available to visitors, visitor safety and visiting conditions, the Regional Government said in a statement.
Capelo lies in a forest area of about 80 hectares with plants typical of Macaronesia. Faial's forest services are working on its picnic and barbecue areas, playground, walking trails, fallow deer enclosure and traditional rural house. It is the most visited forest recreation reserve on Faial, used by residents, tourists, organised groups and tour bus passengers, and is estimated to have received more than 17,000 visitors in 2026.
The Azores have 27 forest recreation reserves on eight of the nine islands. Together they cover about 570 hectares and receive about 400,000 visitors a year.
Sources
Azores Guide
Author