SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 10 December (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Tenerife Cabildo and Moeve Foundation have successfully completed the initial stage of the expansion of the Wolfredo Wilpret Botanical Garden Nursery located within Teide National Park.
The Minister for the Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, alongside the president of the Moeve Foundation, Belén Machado, recently toured the site, which aims to produce 140,000 units by 2026, facilitating reforestation in areas impacted by the devastating fire of 2023.
Specifically, through the efforts of the Moeve Foundation, roughly 200 square metres have been added at the El Portillo Visitor Centre to enhance the production of various plant species for future replanting.
The nursery’s expansion has included various developments such as constructing an access route, levelling the selected land, erecting stone walls, and installing production tables for plants, an irrigation system, and a perimeter fence around the new area.
The primary types of flora that specialist technicians are working with include the ladder, Canarian cedar, summit jarilla, Teide violet, and broom, all of which are part of a programme involving 200 catalogued species of significant environmental value being cultivated in the nursery, according to a statement from the corporation.
INCREASED PRODUCTION
Minister Blanca Pérez reminded that an “essential endeavour” is currently underway, facilitated by the Moeve Foundation, which has aided the nursery’s expansion to double its production capacity, thus enabling it to meet both regular plantation demands in Teide National Park and the increasing need arising from the fire’s impact and the cedar replanting initiative in the park.
“The foundation is also collaborating on other significant plans aimed at reforestation and the repopulation of our natural areas as well as their promotion as a collective resource for protection,” she emphasised.
Meanwhile, Belén Machado, president of the Moeve Foundation, expressed that “it brings immense satisfaction to the organisation to contribute to the Cabildo of Tenerife and the island along with its citizens in the preservation of Teide National Park.”
She noted, “Following the fires that occurred in the summer of 2023, the necessity for plants to aid reforestation in this natural area was pressing, and we responded positively to the appeal for assistance by collaborating with the nursery’s expansion.”
CYCLES OF GROWTH
The Wolfredo Wilpret Botanical Garden spans over 40,000 square metres, encompassing the entire plant lifecycle: seed selection, growth in greenhouses and climate-controlled environments, protected planting, and eventual planting when the plants attain the necessary size for survival.
The endemic plant nurseries operated by the Cabildo are crucial for repopulating these areas, as they play a vital role in safeguarding local biodiversity and restoring specific ecosystems.
By cultivating and planting endemic species, natural populations are reinforced, endangered species are protected, and the rejuvenation of damaged habitats is facilitated, particularly in areas impacted by the fire in 2023.
This effort significantly contributes to environmental preservation and ecological balance.
In line with the protection of high mountain ecosystems, barriers have also been erected in certain regions of Teide National Park to assure the swift recovery of flora while shielding it from herbivores such as rabbits and mouflons that inhabit the park.
Once the plants mature, the barriers will be removed as they will be resilient against herbivore activity.
