Operation “Clean Sea”

Following what has happened last year, another Operation “Clean Sea” will take place in the Natural Reserve of the Desertas Islands on April 22^nd .

In the International Earth Day, a group of divers will collect the garbage in the Desertas Islands. Also, in the city of Santa Cruz - Madeira, a group of mountain climbers will join the students of the schools of Santa Cruz, to clean the edges of the two rivers of Santa Cruz. This environment cleaning process will also enable the practice of a radical sport – scaling.

After garbage collection, a selection and separation of residuals will be made.

This is an initiative of The Natural Park of Madeira, the Santa Cruz City Hall, the Capitania of Funchal Port and of the several diving centers existing in the island.

Source: Jornal da Madeira – February 16, 2007-04-12

International Bird Day

In order to celebrate the International Bird Day and promote at the same time Birdwatching among people, the “Ventura do Mar” and the Portuguese Society for the Study of the Birds (SPEA) will organize a boat excursion on Sunday, April 1^st. Everyone registered will be able to watch the seabirds and all the involving nature.

Registrations are already open and are available until March 28, at the following contacts:

Tel.: (+351) 291 241 210 (+351) 967 232 195

E-mail: madeira@spea.pt or venturadomar@iol.pt

Forest area has increased 6% in the Region

After the commemorations of the International Tree Day, the Autonomous Region of Madeira defines strategies to prevent risks as fires, climatic alterations, plagues, illnesses and invaders.

The Plan intends to go beyond what was defined in the National Strategy of the Forests (ENF), approved by the Cabinet on the 17 of August 2006. The most important steps, in this plan, are the prevention of the erosion of the land and the regulation of the hydraulic regimen. This because, without the existing efficient covered vegetal area, the rocky risks of haul of soil masses and materials would be enormous, leading to catastrophes.

The Regional Strategy of the Forests counts on several other objectives, namely to create instruments of support to the order and management of the forest , to promote the expansion and regeneration of the patrimony, to preserve the ecosystems, to develop the organized breeding sheep, to explore and to preserve the synergetic and aquaculture resources in internal waters, to develop the scientific inquiry in the domains of fauna and flora, to develop the ecotourism and to improve the administrative and technician support installations.

This project gives continuity to the 121 projects of reforesting ; to the 2,512 hectares of forest area and to the 5.727.636 trees that, throughout these 32 years, increased the forest area in 6%.

Just Remember that this goal strategy is the preservation of Laurissilva, classified by UNESCO as Natural Patrimony of the Mankind, because Laurissilva constitutes a pillar for the regional economy that is based mainly in the tourism.

Source: www.dnoticias.pt - March 26, 2007

Sea-wolves in growth

Although in the last year we have had only a successful birth, the colony of sea-wolves of Madeira is the only one that has come to grow in the last five years. An it is expected that the colony comes to grow again, as March is one month where the males try to couple. The period of gestation is of about 9 months. The baby sea-wolves are born in land and then go by a period of breast-feeding that may reach the 120 days.
Currently, these species are at risk, existing only about 500 exemplars spread throughout the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean, namely in the northwest cost of Africa and in Madeira. The colony in Madeira is constituted at this moment of sea-wolves - Lobos Marinhos - (designation used solely in the Region), being already many of them identified, as the Desertinha, the Birisca, the Risca Grande, the Esbranquiçado, the Macho of the Bugio and the Loma.
The preservation of this species is, since 1988, in charge of the Natural Park of Madeira with the patrol of a small boat throughout the islands and by the direct watch of the sea-wolves.

Source: http://www.dnoticias.pt/ – March 22, 2007

Friends of the Park help to reforest Madeira

On March 17, some of the members of the Associação Amigos do Parque Ecológico do Funchal (Association of Friends of the Ecological Park of Funchal) contributed, once again, to the reforesting of Madeira Island. The destinations were the Cabeceira of the Ribeira de Santa Luzia and the Montanha do Cabeço. In spite of the cold weather (about 10ºc), the objective was fulfilled - to plant 600 indigenous and endemic trees and shrubs.
The Regional Direction of the Forests supplied 2,000 plants to this effect, which would be planted during the last week and until yesterday, the Tree Day, by the Association of Friends of the Park. This project of reforesting, which started in 2001, aims to guarantee the future of the indigenous and endemic species of the region. Raimundo Quintal was satisfied with the results achieved during these last years, referring that this initiative is to prevent Madeira “from being another desert” and so that Madeira continues “with the same beauty that had before fires…”

Source: http://www.dnoticias.pt/ – March 18, 2007

Desertinha returns

After 10 months, the Desertinha returned to Desertas islands. The last time she was seen - next to the south coast of Madeira - looked like to be wounded and probably for this reason remained in the same area until now.
Desertinha was the first monachus monachus to be identified by the Natural Park of Madeira and is the oldest Mediterranean Monk Seal of the colony of Desertas Islands. It is therefore of great importance for the responsible biologists for the preservation of the colony, that counts, currently, with about 30 adult Mediterranean Monk Seals.
Rosa Pires, biologist of the Natural Park of Madeira (PNM), reported that this is the time of coupling for the Mediterranean Monk Seals in the Desertas Islands, and Desertinha may have returned to couple. This is an important factor, in the colony, as last year there was only a successful birth.

Source: http://www.dnoticias.pt/ – March 21, 2007

The Mantas in Madeira

The involved volunteers in the second campaign of quantification and study of habitats of the existing Mantas in Madeira are about 40, an initiative of the regional delegation of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds - SPEA (http://www.spea.pt). After the quantification of specimens, in one second phase, the analysis of the evolution of the population of these birds of prey will be followed.
Isabel Fagundes, responsible for the SPEA in Madeira, explained to Diário de Notícias that the inventory of the number of Mantas is made through registration cards, where the volunteers register the birds that they watch (by foot, bicycle or car) on areas previously marked. All the collected data is later treated statistically, in order to estimate which is the existing population of Mantas in the whole island. This project comes to fill the lack of studies related with the evolution of the population of this species in the region.

Source: Diário de Notícias – March 18, 2007

Diving Packages in the Dom Pedro Hotel Group

Dom Pedro Hotels in association with the Diving Center of Madeira, offer to their customers several diving packages in the coast of Machico. These offers are valid for APA bookings, until 31st of December 2007, in the Dom Pedro Baía Club.
Packages description:
3 nights: includes 5 divings (a boat trip - two times to the Reserve of the Garajau; and two exits to the coast - Caniçal, Reis Magos, Three Marias). Price per person in double room- since 240€;
7 nights: incudes 7 divings (a boat trip - two times to the Reserve of the Garajau; and four exits to the coast - Caniçal, Reis Magos, Three Marias). Price per person in double room - since 365€.
The package includes transport, bottles and lastro. It does not include full diving equipment (95€ per person).
Any package requires a minimum number of 4 divers.

Source: Presstur