Nature Park of Santa Maria

Nature Park of Santa Maria (Parque Natural de Santa Maria)
Santa Maria Nature Park
Nature park (Parque Natural)
A view of the diverse geomorphology and natural environments that make-up the island of Santa Maria, as seen from Pico Alto
Official name: Parque Natural da Ilha de Santa Maria
Named for: Santa Maria
Country	Portugal
Autonomous Region	Azores
Group	Central
Island	Santa Maria
Municipality	Vila do Porto
City	Vila do Porto
Location	Santa Maria
Highest point	Pico Alto
Lowest point	Sea level
- location	Atlantic Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Biomes	Temperate, Mediterranean
Geology	Alkali basalt, Tephra, Trachyte, Trachybasalt
Orogeny	Volcanism
Period	Holocene
Founded	Decreto Legislativo Regional n.º 46/2008/A
Date	7 November 2008
Management	Secretário Regional do Ambiente e do Mar
- location	Rua Cônsul Dabney - Colónia Alemã, 140, Horta, Faial
- elevation	28 m (92 ft)
- coordinates	38°32′2″N 28°37′45″W / 38.53389°N 28.62917°W / 38.53389; -28.62917
Owner	Regional Government of the Azores
For public	Public
Easiest access	Multiple
The location of the various protected areas that constitute the Santa Maria Nature Park
Website: http://parquesnaturais.azores.gov.pt/pt/santamaria

The Nature Park of Santa Maria (Portuguese: Parque Natural de Santa Maria), or simply or Santa Maria Nature Park (PNSM) developed from the intention of better managing the protected areas of the island of Santa Maria, and was instituted by the Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e do Mar (Regional Secretariate for the Environment and Oceans), of the Autonomous Regional Government of the Azores. Several natural landscapes were preserved and their use conditioned in order to foster conservation and support endemic flora and fauna species, as well as provide communal forms of recreation and nature interpretation.

On the 7 November 2008, the Regional Government legislated the creation (under Regional Legislative Decree 47/2008/A) of the Parque Natural da Ilha de Santa Maria (Nature Park of the Island of Santa Maria) in order to encapsulate and administer the various territorial units into one scheme, the thirteen protected areas include:

In addition, the Direcção Regional dos Recursos Florestais (Regional Directorate for Forest Resources), which is responsible for the administration of forest resources and parks on the island, is responsible for the maintenance and promotion of the following forest reserves, within the designated spaces: