The Project SMARTPARKS – Planning and Management System for Small Islands Protected Areas (PTDC/AAC-AMB/098786/2008) – it’s a project funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) with a duration of 3 years (2010-2013).

The overall objective is contributing to the existence of SMART protected areas in small island territories, i.e. protected areas meeting the following criteria:

SMARTPARKS Project attempts to facilitate the development and implementation of sustainable protected areas, through their compatibility with economic and cultural activities, population’s active involvement and integration with the planning and management options taken at the island level.

The main challenge is to ensure maximum effectiveness in space organization and management, accommodating both society and conservation needs.

In the search for space management solutions, two issues need to be considered:

 - islands’ context, particularly small islands, translated into limited available space and resources for different uses and activities;
 - uncertainty scenarios, resulting from several factors which entail the inability to accurately predict future evolution;

SMARTPARKS Project proposes the adoption of a adaptive management model, focusing the definition of what constitutes the preparation phase of the cycle, i.e. problem framework, objectives definition, management alternatives, models and monitoring protocols.

Case study:

The system’s application and validation will be achieved through the development of a case study, Pico Island Park. This Island Park was selected due to its singularity, percentage of classified area, diversity and representativeness of protection categories.

Pico Island Park is the largest Natural Park of the Azores, comprising 156 km² of terrestrial surface, around 35% of the island territory, and 79 km² marine area, distributed by 19 terrestrial protected areas and 3 marine protected areas.

Of its 22 protected areas, 4 are classified as nature reserve, 1 as natural monument, 8 as protected area for species/habitats management (mainly coastal areas), 6 as protected landscape and 3 as protected area for resources management (all marine areas).

Its greatest icons are Pico Mountain, Gruta das Torres, the largest lava tube in Portugal, and the vineyard culture landscape, classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site, singular features at regional and national scale.

Pico Island Park

(adapted from shapefiles made available by Direcção Regional do Ambiente dos Açores)