SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Jan. 9 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of the Canary Islands, through the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy, and the Cabildo of Tenerife, have signed two collaboration agreements, with a total value of 6,321,456 euros, destined to carry out key actions for the preservation and improvement of natural spaces.
These agreements were materialized this Tuesday in the Tenerife Cabildo by the Minister of Ecological Transition and Energy, Mariano Hernández Zapata, and the island president, Rosa Dávila.
In addition, the event was also attended by the general director of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity of the Government of the Canary Islands, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, the counselor of the Area of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Blanca Pérez and the insular director of Natural Environment of the same area, Pedro Millán.
The agreements aim to carry out actions in the Teide National Park, in addition to actions to restore ecosystems and green infrastructure, as well as sustainable forest management on the island.
“These actions will help to improve the conservation of important natural environments on the island of Tenerife, especially those that suffered damage due to the fire last summer,” declared the counselor, who also added that “these agreements are in line with collaboration and joint work of this Ministry with the different island councils for the conservation, improvement and restoration of the natural spaces of the entire archipelago.
In his opinion, “The Canary Islands have an incalculable natural treasure and it is in our power to protect it with actions like these.”
For Rosa Dávila, it is essential to promote the task of recovering the natural environment, not only in the areas affected by the fire in August 2023 but also in all those that have been degraded over time.
The materialization of the funds from this agreement adds to the initiatives that the Cabildo is carrying out in that same sense, according to a note from the Ministry.
“Our relationship with Nature has to change and we have to make it possible to develop prevention policies that allow us to put out summer fires in winter. As this is increasingly difficult, given climate change and the high temperatures that in the months of winter we are suffering, like this year, preventive work takes on major importance,” said Dávila, to which is added the concern for having sufficient fire-fighting means such as those materialized in this agreement, with six forest fire engine vehicles. worth 1.7 million euros.
AGREEMENT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECT ACTIONS IN TEIDE
The first collaboration agreement contemplates four direct actions in the national park such as the conservation and improvement of the summit broom through fencing, the eradication of herbivores and planting; the adaptation and improvement of the parking lots at the Roulette and Cañada Blanca Visitor Center; restoring the cedar forest and eradicating invasive exotic flora due to rising temperatures.
For these works the Ministry contributes a total of 3,685,200 euros.
The deadline for the execution of these actions and their justification will be until February 28, 2026 and, during that time, it is intended to address the recovery of the habitat, developing a plantation campaign, with the aim of introducing more than 13,000 specimens of Canary cedar.
In addition, the fencing of several areas will be undertaken, in which work aimed at the conservation of brooms will be carried out, which will now also take into account the areas burned by the Tenerife fire.
In order to exercise more effective control over the flora introduced into the Teide National Park, any nucleus of invasive species that is detected will be detected and eliminated and the space in the La Ruleta parking lots will be reorganized. and the Cañada Blanca Visitor Center.
CONVENTION FOR THE RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS
The second of the collaboration agreements, by which Ecological Transition and Energy will grant the Cabildo of Tenerife 2,636,256 million euros, includes the execution of three actions.
On the one hand, the restoration of the ecosystem of the Site of Scientific Interest of La Caleta, Adeje, in Tenerife, although the largest investment will be allocated to the acquisition of forest fire pump vehicles, key to the prevention and extinction of fires. , financeable with 1,770,000 euros.
In this way, with the acquisition of latest generation vehicles, the provision of firefighting services will be improved.
The signing of this agreement represents a significant step in the commitment of the Canary Islands authorities to the protection of the environment and the promotion of sustainable tourism in the region.
Furthermore, it aligns perfectly with the objectives of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, whose purpose is to promote economic recovery through projects that contribute to the ecological transition and improving the quality of life of citizens.
Both the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Tenerife trust that these agreements will strengthen the conservation of the Teide National Park and allow future generations to enjoy this valuable natural heritage.
