In 1999, the Azores protected forest for the endangered Azores bullfinch; two decades of restoration later, surveys estimated about 1,300 birds in suitable habitat

In 1999, the Azores set aside the Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme region on São Miguel Island for the conservation of the endangered Azores bullfinch, a bird found nowhere else in the world. At the time, the bird species had been reduced to around 100 breeding pairs and survived in a small remnant of native laurel forest. More than two decades later, sustained habitat restoration transformed about 1,000 acres of its core habitat, and surveys estimated the bird population at around 1,300 individuals. The Smithsonian notes that this recovery followed years of removing invasive plants, restoring native forests, and planting more than 500,000 native trees.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!