AZORES | Regional Government launches mobile app for self-guided visits to regional Environmental Centres and Nature Parks
The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, presented the Azores Nature Parks Mobile App and the Self-Guided Tour Project for the Region’s Environmental Centres, as part of an event held at the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre – Living Science Centre, Faial Island.
According to Alonso Miguel, “this initiative represents another firm step towards the Region’s strategy for preserving and enhancing its natural heritage, promoting environmental education, and improving the experience of all those visiting environmental centres and protected areas” in the Azores.
The Regional Secretary for the Environment noted that it is “essential to develop knowledge and invest in environmental literacy, an aspect that is one of the strategic pillars of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action’s policy.” In this context, he highlighted the particular relevance of the Azores Network of Environmental Centres “as a strategic tool for disseminating and interpreting the knowledge produced.”
“Spread across the nine islands of the archipelago, these centres are much more than just exhibition spaces; they are true gateways to the Azorean natural world. They are also places where environmental education is promoted in a very practical way, with a view to informing, raising awareness and educating our visitors, but, above all, our local communities. Special emphasis is given to the involvement of schools, as essential vehicles for creating a society that is more aware of environmental challenges,” he emphasised.
“The statistics clearly demonstrate the growing importance of the Azores’ Environmental Interpretation Centres, with a very significant and sustained increase in visitor numbers to these sites,” he added.
Alonso Miguel emphasised that the centres received around 229,000 visitors in 2021, with the most recent figures for 2025 pointing to over 422,000 visitors, stressing that “the demand for these spaces has doubled in just four years.”
“This is a very significant increase, which clearly demonstrates the growing interest in the Azores’ natural heritage, but also the vital role that environmental centres play as venues for interpretation, awareness-raising and environmental education,” he noted.
The government official explained that “the Region has been consistently investing in the modernisation of these spaces and improving the tools used for interpreting and communicating the natural heritage.”
He announced: “It was against this backdrop that the Autonomous Visitation Project for the Azores Environmental Centres was launched, using the Azores Nature Parks Mobile App as its main tool, designed to allow any visitor to explore the environmental centres independently, fully informed and in an accessible manner.”
The government official explained that, “through the app, visitors now have access to audio guides and video content explaining the various exhibitions and interpreting the content at each environmental centre. As such, a guided tour is now possible through interpretation stations corresponding to different points of interest, linked to information panels, display cases, exhibits or natural features.”
According to the Regional Secretary, “these stations also extend to outdoor areas in some centres, as is the case with the magnificent Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre, providing an integrated understanding of the surrounding landscape and the natural features that characterise each area.”
“This allows visitors to explore the space at their own pace, gaining a deeper understanding of each topic and engaging with the content in a more dynamic and immersive way,” he said.
Alonso Miguel also pointed out that “the app was developed to ensure that all visitors can enjoy the experience, regardless of their physical, sensory or linguistic abilities.”
GRA/RÁDIOILHÉU
