* The ProGeo Portuguese group attributed the Geoconservation Award 2005 to the Valongo Municipality for the creation and management of the Palaeozoic Park. 2

* The Portuguese Geoconservation community recognizes the high quality of the Palaeozoic Park Geological Heritage; the frameworkOrdovician fossils from Valongo Anticline is one of the categories of international relevance recently proposed. 3

* The Valongo Palaeozoic Park created in 1998 was a pioneer example of geoconservation in Portugal resulting from the partnership between the Municipality of Valongo and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. 4

* The project started in 1995 and was founded by an European Community Life Programme. Since 2000 the Park has had the assistance and scientific support of the Geology Centre of the University of Porto. 5

* The mountains of Santa Justa and Pias integrate the Valongo Palaeozoic Park, which is of enormous geological, palaeontological and geomining value. This Park is also the habitat of endangered species of the Valongo region. 6

* The Valongo Palaeozoic Park offers visitors a great number of sea fossils called trilobites, because 500 millions years ago this region was submerged. 7

* At the Valongo Palaeozoic Park you`ll find a vast variety of fauna and plants, including insectivorous plants. 8

* The auriferous mines explored by the Romans for gold extraction in the 1st and 2nd centuries are one of the most emblematic places of the Mountain of Santa Justa, being the habitat of rare species like fetuses and salamanders. 9

* The Valongo Palaeozoic Park is fertile in rare endangered plants such as: fetuses and insectivorous plants. 10

* Different species of birds also make their nests in the trees or bushes that abound in this Park. They can be seen flying over the slate mountains. Among them, the lark, the owl, the eagle and the hoopoe are worth a reference. 11

* But in this Palaeozoic Park other threatened animals fight for their survival, namely the salamander, the frog and the wild rabbit. 12

* At the Valongo Palaeozoic Park learning sessions for teachers and national and international scientific visits are organized. 13

* Among the educational activities, it`s possible to observe fossils and animals, identified in cards. 14

* There is an exhibition of fossils from the region representing the forms of life that inhabited the Ordovician sea of Valongo. 15

* At the Valongo Palaeozoic Park the interpretative circuit provides three geo-trails (green, red and yellow trails) that show different aspects of the protected geodiversity. 16

* For all these reasons this Park is the ideal place for visitors to enjoy the amazing landscapes, the fresh air, the culture of the region and the harmonious sounds of nature. 17

Powerpoint done by: 11º H 18