The fire in the Forest Crown of Tenerife, which is already controlled but has not been officially declared extinct, has affected more than 60 protected species. Among them, the one that worries the most is the Añavingo bighead, scientifically called Cheirolophus metlesicsii. This was confirmed yesterday by Miguel Ángel Morcuende, general director of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity of the Government of the Canary Islands. «From an environmental point of view, the impact of fire on unique species in Canary Islands “It has been very important,” Morcuende specified.
It is an endangered species, a shrub that can reach 2.5 meters in height, endemic to Tenerife and that attracts attention for its violet flower, which only had two population centers in the world. «The first was in Arico and burned in 2021. So far, according to technicians from the ministry, no specimens have been located in that area again. The remaining nucleus is in Añavingo (Arafo) and, without a doubt, has been affected by the fire,” details the general director of Natural Spaces.
There are also other populations, in danger of extinction, such as the Tenerife orchid (Himantoglossum metlecsisianum), an endemic plant that grows seasonally – between December and February – that have suffered the consequences of the fire. Equally in danger of extinction, in this case due to rabbit predation, competition with other species and human action, is the Agache jarrilla (Helianthemum teneriffae), another shrub endemic to Tenerife. It is known in a single locality in the southeast of the Island, in Güímar, in the area of the Corona Forestal Natural Park.
This protected area, the largest in the Canary Islands, is the natural habitat of a large number of threatened endemisms. It is estimated that the fire has affected 3,033 hectares of endemic Canarian pine forests out of 9,360 existing ones. 1,860 hectares of 4,090 hectares of endemic Oro-Mediterranean heaths with gorse and 703 hectares of endemic Macaronesian heaths have also been affected. In addition, 172 hectares of 9,360 hectares of endemic Macaronesian laurel forest must be accounted for.
This list also includes specimens of Tenerife’s fauna such as the long-eared owl, the hawk, the woodpecker and the blue finch, special protection species that inhabit the Forest Crown. These species are found in habitats of community interest. Its destruction causes serious damage to the ecosystems where other unique species of fungi, bacteria and invertebrates live.
