Community social characterization
The municipality of Lagoa is located on the south coast of the island of São Miguel the largest and most populous of the nine islands of the Azores. The municipality of Lagoa has 14.442 inhabitants and has a global area of 45,6 km2, and five parishes: Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Santa Cruz, Água de Pau, Cabouco and Ribeira Chã.
Governance in the pilot case
University of Açores in Cooperation with Lagoa Municipality. The environmental organisations, tourism companies that offer trails from the Island will be involved.
Motivation of the pilot
Lagoa is a small city that aims to establish a more sustainable development for a positive symbiosis of contrasts: between a past and a future, the sea and the land, the traditional and the modern that Lagoa is lived and felt. Nature is an important value in this process.
Local governance profile
Collaborative governance between university, municipality, local environmental organisations, tourism enterprises and schools.
Target group
Families, adults, youth and clients of social welfare org.
Existing NBS applications and initiatives
Trails are an important asset in Lagoa. They are a NBS with a positive impact in wellness, health and economic development. Regional or local trails need to be adapted to include other possibilities to use. For that it is necessary a to evaluate risk, disaster management, rescue, etc.
Small scale NBS testing
Improve the security of trails to make them more friendly for families, more sustainable and more inclusive. Lagoa has several trails that can be used to create a case study.
Leverage resources for NBS
Good – look at: https://trails.visitazores.com/en/trailsazores/s%C3%A3o-miguel and https://lagoa-acores.pt/menu/descobrir-visitar/fazer/rotas-e-trilhos
Challenges raised during the preparatory meetings
› Because there are a need of participatory governance on different dimensions (eg. Participatory Budget);
› Because Lagoa is Developing it´s Municipal Health Plan with the integration of NBS;
› Because there are a need to develop green space management, nature protection, agriculture and forestry sectors as care providers and their possible linkages with healthcare, social and educational sectors.
› Because there are a need to incorporate the rights of nature (Pachamama) in municipal regulations and procedures: the nature/biodiversity existing in trails need to be protected and not exploited.
› Because there are a need to validated scientifically solutions.
Environmental Challenges
Lagoa is looking for a sustainable development that respects nature and places. With the increasing number of tourists and citizens doing trails into nature there is a need to evaluate the risks, in different dimensions (geological, biological, rescue, etc). Natural preservation should anticipate risks for damage to some natural landscapes and research the possibilities to use nature (trails) and the nature conservation (environmental burden).
Who owns the land?
Public
Social Challenges
Regional Program for Mental Health in the Azores in public consultation and the development of Municipal Health Plan with the integration of NBS.
Related projects to create synergies
Lagoa Municipal Health PlanInside out project – https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/Photovice
Economic Challenges
Trails are an important economic activity in Lagoa, due to its connection with the tourism industry. The idea is to associate Lagoa with the concept of Azores as one of the best places in the world for health and wellbeing sustainable tourism.
Possible local partners, associations, initiatives and champions to be engaged
Lagoa Municipality
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