LIFE BEETLES promotes training action on Natural Engineering Techniques

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change promoted a training action on Natural Engineering Techniques on the island of São Miguel, developed by the LIFE BEETLES project.

During four days, environmental technicians, project managers, park rangers and field workers, totalling 20 participants, had the opportunity to partake in this theoretical and practical action.

The programme included a visit to the native plants’ nurseries in Santo António do Nordestinho and a fieldwork in Mata dos Bispos Intervention Area, where the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA, with the support of the partner SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, has been developing 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵 restoration works.

The goal was to capacitate the LIFE BEETLES project’s teams, allowing a better assessment of intervention’s necessities in the field, implementing natural engineering techniques, and searching for nature-based solutions for 𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵 restoration and rehabilitation.

During the training action, 25 metres of palisades were built, for soil erosion control, as well as a 12-metre fascine, for the redirection of rainwater, and 10 micro dams for sediment retention and reduction of rainwater energy. In addition, 77 native plants were planted.

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change considers training and valorisation of its human resources essential to ensure accurate monitoring and intervention in all its matters and intervention areas, congratulating itself on the results obtained.