In April of this year I visited the Azores for the first time. Although I was a bit disappointed with the amount of whales we saw (zero), it cannot be denied that the Azores are a wonderful and special destination. The Azores Islands are a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, located about 1,500 km (930 mi) from Lisbon and about 3,900 km (2,400 mi) from the east coast of North America. The archipelago is an autonomous region of Portugal and consists of nine volcanic islands, divided into three groups. These are Flores and Corvo, to the west; Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the center; and São Miguel, Santa Maria (and the Formigas Reef) to the east. The Azores are considered one of the greenest destinations in the world and are seen as an example of best practice in harmonizing tourism and nature. The region has a rich and protected geodiversity and marine life, natural areas with well-regulated hiking trails as well as an Eco school.

The islands are known for their beautiful nature, where you can hike in the mountains and enjoy views of the ocean and lakes, relax in the hot springs, go diving in the clear blue waters or go whale and dolphin watching. In fact, the Azores are best known for whale and dolphin watching since the archipelago is a pit stop or home for about a third of the world’s species of cetaceans. Sperm whales, common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins can be seen here year-round. Other species, like blue whales, pass through on migration routes. Unesco designated three of the islands (Graciosa, Flores and Corvo) as Biosphere Reserves (special places for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems), and the archipelago also contains 13 Ramsar sites (important wetlands). A code of conduct governs how many boats can congregate near a whale, the direction from which they must approach the animals, and how long they’re allowed to shadow them.

This was different not so long ago, when whale hunting was part of the Azorean economy (whale hunting was only abolished in 1987). The vigia (watchtowers) used for hunting are now used to help tourist boats go to the right direction.

In 2017 the conference ´Azores, towards Sustainable Tourism´ was held on the island of São Miguel. At this conference national and international experts, political and business leaders, and academics with recognized careers in this area came together to consider the future of the Azores and its principles of sustainable development, which are:

the importance of preserving the natural and cultural heritage while at the same time creating fair and lasting wealth
the international imperatives of climate governance towards a global low carbon economy
the increasing pressure that a growing global population puts on the planet and the region.

In December 2019 there will be another conference, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Conference, which will bring together international and domestic tourism stakeholders involved in the development and promotion of sustainable tourism; including public sector, hotels, tour operators, academia, development agencies, NGOs, consultants, and more.

The islands are also working hard on increasing the output of renewable energy. In 2018 a geothermal power plant of Pico Alto on Terceira/ Azores was inaugurated that provides up to 10% of the island's electricity demand and with another plant on the island of São Miguel provides around one fourth of all electricity generated on the Azores. In. 2018 the Azores already had 37% of the electricity produced from renewable energies, of which 24% were from a geothermal source and the government is planning on increasing this number in the near future. Furthermore, rational use of water is supported by the Regional Plan for the Water (PRAA), which is the primary planning instrument for the quality and quantity management of water resources of the Azores. This involves water conservation, protection, and balanced management of water.

Sources

Main picture: World Cetacean Alliance