SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, September 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo of Tenerife is going to promote a specific line of support for beekeeping after the sector has been “seriously affected” by the forest fire that affects Tenerife, with an estimate of between 2,500 and 3,500 hives destroyed by the fire and with areas not yet evaluated.
The counselor of the Primary Sector, Valentín González, convened this Tuesday the Insular Beekeeping Table where professionals in the sector are represented, with the intention of carrying out a diagnosis on the current situation of beekeeping in Tenerife.
Furthermore, he points out that “there is a very significant number that have not been burned, but that have been affected by the heat, causing the bees to flee or die, so those colonies will hardly be viable.”
The beekeeping sector has been seriously harmed by this fire, since a large number of hives were within the usual honey production calendar in the transhumance of Teide in search of summit honey (broom from El Teide and Malpica, mainly) and chestnut, in the chestnut areas of the northern median.
Given this situation, Valentín González explains that the Cabildo will promote a specific line of support for beekeeping, so that the effects of fire in this sector can be minimized, as far as possible.
In addition, the Minister of the Primary Sector reported on the line of subsidies for complementary feeding of Tenerife bees for 2023, intended for beekeepers’ associations on the island, in order to defray the expenses for the acquisition of complementary foods and specific for bees.
“We are going to work in coordination with the Government of the Canary Islands so that aid reaches beekeepers effectively. We are very aware of the importance of beekeeping, as a primary activity with a long tradition in rural areas, as well as of the activities themselves. bees as pollinating agents that are responsible for the conservation of numerous plant species, the environment and biodiversity, which is why we are going to use all the means in our power to alleviate the effects that the fire has on the sector”, details.
Valentín González has called a new Island Beekeeping Roundtable to be held within a month to have a more detailed analysis of the situation of beekeeping on the island after the fire.
FIRE OPERATION
As for the extinction operation of the Cabildo de Tenerife, for this Tuesday it is made up of 110 people, to which we must add the coordination and logistics personnel. In addition, there are 15 people carrying out restoration work and 20 people working on the adaptation of forest tracks.
This Tuesday morning one of the Cabildo’s helicopters intervened in the La Orotava area due to a reactivation.
To this contingent we must add the rest of the personnel of Operation Brifor who are deployed throughout the territory in surveillance and extinction tasks.
In that sense, this Monday there was an attempt in Garachico that was quickly controlled by the Brifor and that affected an implement room and the surrounding vegetation.
The Cabildo recalls that the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Response to Forest Fires of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (INFOCA) and the Territorial Insular Emergency Plan (PEIN) remain activated and that it has issued grade 3 measures in the municipalities of Güímar, Arafo, Fasnia, Candelaria, El Rosario, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, La Matanza de Acentejo, La Victoria de Acentejo, Santa Úrsula, La Orotava and Los Realejos.
The grade 3 measures contemplate the prohibition of lighting fires in recreational areas and traveling on forest tracks and trails. Staying in the mountains and making fires outdoors (bonfires, stoves, barbecues, gas stoves) are also prohibited; pyrotechnic displays and the use of machinery and tools that cause sparks. In addition, motor vehicles cannot be used on forest trails for recreational purposes.
Hunting activity is prohibited in these municipalities, except in Güímar and Fasnia, where it is allowed.
ACCESS TO TEIDE
For its part, the accesses to the Teide National Park via TF-24 (La Esperanza) and TF-21 (La Orotava) remain closed to traffic to guarantee the safety of people and facilitate extinction work.
In addition, TF-523 (Subida Los Loros) remains closed. Access to the Teide National Park can be done through Vilaflor (TF-21) and Chío (TF-38) and it has been decided to modify the section of the Cable Car, moving it to Portillo Alto, so that people can access the restaurants located in the area.
As for the trails of the Teide National Park, the following are completely closed: Trail No. 1 La Fortaleza, Trail No. 2 Arenas Negras, Trail No. 8 El Filo, Trail No. 14 Alto de Guamaso, Trail No. 17 Igueque, Trail no. 20 Fasnia Volcano, Trail no. 21 Corral del Niño to La Yegua Blanca, Trail no. Butcher shop.
For its part, Trail No. 4 Siete Cañadas is partially closed from the beginning by the El Portillo Visitor Center until its contact with Trail No. 30 Los Valles (Risco de La Papelera), while Trail No. 22 Lomo Hurtado is partially closed. closed from the beginning in contact with trail nº1 La Fortaleza until its contact with trail nº33 Montaña Negra).
