The Council of Tenerifetogether with Excelencia Turística de Tenerife, have launched a awareness campaign with tourist accommodation on the island on the effects of nocturnal overlighting and its effects on Cory’s shearwater colonies. Through the campaign The first trip, which will be presented on Monday at 12:00 at the Marylanza hotel in Los Cristianos, the aim is to get the tourism sector involved and begin to improve lighting conditions in tourist and leisure areas to facilitate the first flight of shearwater chicks.
“The involvement of the tourism sector is fundamental in order to help protect the departure of the shearwater chicks to the sea on their first flight,” said the Minister of Natural Environment Management and Security, Isabel García, in a press release. who recalled that from the Cabildo, and through the La Tahonilla Wildlife Recovery Center, and with the help of groups of volunteers, NGOs, local police, last year “3,351 shearwaters were rescued, the largest number of all the editions made to date, of which 95.5% could be released and guided to their natural habitat, which is the sea, after that first failed flight».
“The Citizen awareness step is already advanced; chick falls that are picked up and retrieved for re-release are reported; now we have to go further: to improve and soften those obstacles that cause these falls to occur, “said the counselor, who added that” for a year with Tourism Excellence we have been preparing this campaign.
Hotels interested in joining and being recognized within the initiative must meet some basic criteria that fall into three groups: the adoption of protection measures within their facilities, dissemination of the Cory’s shearwater problem and information and awareness to customers and staff.
These actions must be verified externally, prior to the start of the protection campaign for this species, which takes place between the months of October and November, and especially on the nights when the first flights of the chickens are concentrated. The membership and distinction program is initially progressive in nature, so that the criteria to be met by member hotels are developed during a cycle of three annual campaigns.
overall awareness
This is an initiative that, although initially focused on the problem of the shearwaters, does not renounce becoming a practical instrument to generate general awareness about the protection of birds in the accommodation sector, eventually including other good practices for the protection of birds.
The Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis) breeds in the Canary Islands. It is the most abundant sea bird. It only goes to the coast to reproduce. Specifically, it breeds in cliffs, ravines and midlands, while between October and November of each year they leave their nest. The young birds, on their first flight to the sea, are dazzled by the lighting of coastal developments and fall disoriented.
