is one of the better locations to explore and observe the natural vegetation of the Portuguese islands, marked by laurissilva forests and humid climates. A pedestrian trail to the caldera floor, permits a three-and-a-half-hour journey at a medium-to-high level of difficulty, while encountering a botanical diversity that has been little influenced by human imprints. The Faial Caldera Nature Reserve is part of the Natura 2000 network, and classified as a Protection Zone for wild birds and an area of Communitarian Interest, along with a member of the Ramsar Convention for conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands. The semi-urbanized walking trail along Monte da Guia lasts 1.8 kilometres (or one-and-a-half hours) around an area that was classified in 1980 as a protected area. Also protected by the Natura 2000 network (as a Zone of Special Conservation), the area is a meeting place for both marine animals, migratory and endemic bird species. If visited during the summer or spring, marine birds such as the Calonectris shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea borealis) or common tern (Sterna hirundo) are common. Interpretive Centres The main reception area, called the Casa do Parque (the Park House) functions as the entrance to the Faial Nature Park, and provides information on the Park's resources, interpretative centres, trails, lookouts and associated activities. The Capelinhos Volcano Interpretative Centre (, also known as CIVC) permits visitors the opportunity to learn about the geological phenomenons and volcanism that gave origin to the Azores, and specifically the Faial. Inaugurated in 2008, the Centre integrates the geological history along Costa da Nau with the historical lighthouse destroyed during the 1957-58 Capelinhos Volcano. This event resulted in a barren lunar landscape, which is only broken by the CIVC; the ash landscape extended to the edge of the community of Capelo, and has only recently begun to recuperate from the event. To present the diversity of endemic and local plants, the Faial Nature Park also integrated the existing Faial Botanical Garden (), into its authority. The Garden, which was remodelled and expanded in 2011 provides both open-air displays and visitor's centre in order to identify and educate the public as to the native plant species common to Faial. This includes a small trail that winds through the park to highlight various shrubs, trees, flowering plants and medicinal species used by original settlers, as well as exotic species, such as the local orchids. Pertaining to the Secretaria Regional do