Captaincies of the Azores very clear, as it has been both referred to as the "comendador da ilha de Santa Maria e nosso capitão nos Açores" ("Commander of the island of Santa Maria and Our captain of the Azores"), or alternately as the "comendador das ilhas dos Açores" ("Commander of the Azores"). The more probable interpretation of this role, being from the Order of Christ responsible for the administration of the islands, came from the "comenda" regime, referring to a "knighthood" or "commandery", normally associated with the Order in Portugal, but applied to the, then, populous island of Santa Maria in the archipelago. Still,
Protected areas of the Azores Azores, was Decree 78/72 (7 March 1972), which created the "Reserva Integral da Caldeira do Faial" ("Integrated Reserve of the Faial Caldera"), which was closely followed by Decree 79/72 (8 March 1972), that established the "Reserva Integral da Montanha da ilha do Pico" ("Integrated Reserve of the Mountain of the Island of Pico"). After a hiatus of two years, Decree 152/74 (15 April 1974) was published that created on the island of São Miguel the "Reserva da Lagoa do Fogo" ("Reserve of Lagoa do Fogo"), which was subject to forestry service guidelines along its perimeter. These regulatory frameworks were in