Candidatura Reserva da Biosfera - Santana Madeira Biosfera

and renewal of local and regional development and may help to identify and promote
initiatives to renew and revitalize the local economy and social development. The
Santana Biosphere Reserve intends to become a space of confluence of different local
and regional players, generating opportunities for promotion initiatives for the
conservation and enrichment of natural and cultural heritage, and mechanisms to
highlight this option for sustainable development that the municipality of Santana
assumed.
The Municipality of Santana is characterized not only by its natural heritage, with its
beautiful landscape and forest wealth, but also by the valuable and extensive cultural
heritage. In the built patrimony heritage, the buildings classified as "County Value"
should be noted, as the Penha Chapel (Parish of Faial) the Faial fort (Parish of Faial), the
Bridge of Faial (Parish of Faial), the fountain of Santa Ana, (Parish of Santana), Church of
S. Jorge (Parish of São Jorge) and the Achadinha Sawmill (Parish of São Jorge).
Other buildings of cultural interest mark and contribute to the harmony of the
landscape of the municipality of Santana, such as traditional houses, in their various
types, including most importantly those with thatched coverage and two-storey buildings
of carved stone, with coverage of Marseille tile or cement and also the water mills that
played a key role in the domestic economy of the county. We highlight, for example, the
Achadinha water mill, recovered under the guidance of the Regional Directorate of
Cultural Affairs (DRAC), which remains in operation, serving the population in the
grinding of their grain for domestic use, chiefly wheat and corn.
There are also the county a set of ethnographic objects, previously used in
economic and domestic activities, such as looms, used in fabrics manufacture for
domestic clothing and household items, such as towels, among others.
Furthermore, the municipality of Santana is one of the regions locals, where
information can be gathered about the customs and traditions such as traditional
medicine, novels, festivals, music and traditional instruments, etc., that are present in its
full authenticity.
14 Application of Santana, Madeira to Biosphere Reserve – UNESCO - MAB