Pico Island destination. Because of this award, Pico has been selected for inclusion in the global atlas for sustainable tourism DestiNet. Pico Island Pico Island ("Ilha do Pico," ), is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the tradition of the Portuguese poet, Raul Brandão, Pico is referred to as the Ilha Preta ("Black Island"), for its black volcanic earth, responsible for its UNESCO-designated historical vineyards that allowed the development of the
Protected areas of the Azores subject to the Natura 2000 convention on habitats (such as Council-Directive 92/43/CEE 21 May 1992, regarding the preservation of natural habitats for wildlife and plants). Similarly, the protection of migratory and wild species of birds is framed within the European bird convention. Given the diverse habitats and ecosystems that exist in the Azores, and following the expansion of the Natura 2000 into Azores, the Regional Government sought to implement an environmental model which was based on management criteria with uniform set of designations, in order to classify protected areas. Using the island as the territorial management unit the Government of