Coastal Ocean Use Mapping Project

The  Blue Azores program  is a partnership between the  Regional Government of the Azores ,  Oceano Azul Foundation , and the  Waitt Institute  to support the protection of 30% of the Azorean sea. It is the goal of Blue Azores to optimize the existing marine protected area (MPA) network while developing and implementing management plans for new MPA’s. The planning process will utilize the best available science while considering the interests of stakeholders and their knowledge of the sea to enrich the process and optimize solutions for resource use and conservation. The Coastal Ocean Use Mapping project is a government-led initiative through the Blue Azores program, guided by in-country and international experts, designed to produce spatial data characterizing coastal ocean use.

• “Individual respondents” indicates the collective number of individuals who directly interacted with the survey tool.
• “Sector responses” indicates the total number of unique responses received in each sector of ocean use, as many respondents recorded use in multiple sectors.
• “Individuals represented” indicates the cumulative number of people represented, including those reflected through group responses.

Data collected in phase 3 is summarized below for each island.

São Jorge is a central island of the Azores archipelago. According to the 2021 census, it has a total population of 8,373 people residing in 2 municipalities. 5 locally based individuals were hired and trained to facilitate survey responses over a 12-week period of implementation from 19 September – 12 December 2022. In total, 259 sector responses were collected from 174 respondents representing the ocean use patterns of 441 individuals in São Jorge, which exceeded the population target of 135 individuals.

Out of 174 total respondents, 138 disclosed their age. Ages ranged from 17 to 75, with a mean age of 39. Of the 138 respondents who disclosed their gender, 29% identified as female and 71% identified as male.

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in São Jorge in each sector of ocean use with 3 or more shapes drawn are shown below. The number of shapes input into each heatmap are reported in the caption (“N”).

Terceira is a central island of the Azores archipelago. According to the 2021 census, it has a total population of 53,244 people residing in 2 municipalities. 4 locally based individuals were hired and trained to facilitate survey responses over a 12-week period of implementation from 19 September – 12 December 2022. In total, 317 sector responses were collected from 247 respondents representing the ocean use patterns of 368 individuals in Terceira, which exceeded the population target of 136 individuals.

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in Terceira in each sector of ocean use with 3 or more shapes drawn are shown below. The number of shapes input into each heatmap are reported in the caption (“N”).

São Miguel is an eastern island of the Azores archipelago. According to the 2021 census, it has a total population of 133,295 people residing in a single municipality. 10 locally based individuals were hired and trained to facilitate survey responses over a 12-week period of implementation from 19 September – 12 December 2022. In total, 687 sector responses were collected from 588 respondents representing the ocean use patterns of 1,575 individuals in São Miguel, which exceeded the population target of 408 individuals.

Out of 588 total respondents, 411 disclosed their age. Ages ranged from 15 to 78, with a mean age of 39. Of the 465 respondents who disclosed their gender, 32% identified as female and 68% identified as male.

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in São Miguel in each sector of ocean use with 3 or more shapes drawn are shown below. The number of shapes input into each heatmap are reported in the caption (“N”).

Heatmaps which summarize survey responses collected in all islands for the Scientific Research, Technological Development and Environmental Monitoring, and Defense and Security sectors are shown below.