Priolo Environmental Centre

The Priolo Environmental Centre is in the Cancela do Cinzeiro Forest Recreation Reserve, at Pedreira in the municipality of Nordeste, at the eastern end of São Miguel island in the Azores. Open to the public since 2007, it is the gateway to the largest protected area of the Lands of the Priolo, a territory covering the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação. It is coordinated by SPEA, the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, a non-profit organisation that has worked for many years on the conservation of the priolo and its habitat.

The priolo, known in English as the Azores bullfinch, lives only in the laurel forest of this part of São Miguel. The centre's exhibition explains the bird's history, the threats it faces and the results of the European conservation projects carried out to protect it and to restore the native vegetation. There is also a reception area with a shop and a small bar.

Guided tours leave from the centre: a tour by car into the restored areas in the heart of the Serra da Tronqueira, a walk through the laurel forest, a visit to the nurseries where native plants are grown for habitat restoration, and a full-day programme. Seeing a priolo is never guaranteed, but the guides know where the chances are best. The income from the tours goes to SPEA's conservation work.

By car, take the expressway to Nordeste and then the regional road to Pedreira, following the signs to the centre. The centre opens seasonally, until mid-November, and receives visitors by appointment at other times, so it is best to get in touch before making the journey in winter.