He Tenerife Council removed some six tons of cat tail (Pennisetum setaceum) during the past year in the Taganana Valley. Gesplan crews hired by the island corporation, as well as volunteers organized through the Environmental Participation and Volunteering Office, have intervened in about 137 hectaresmainly located in Roque de las Ánimas.
The Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability and Safety and EmergenciesBlanca Pérez explains in a note that “it is important to involve citizens in this type of activities that not only serve to preserve our environment but to make it known.”
These actions are sometimes carried out in the same area but at different times of the year for control to be effective.
The Roque de las Ánimas houses some protected species such as the Taganana Thyme (Micromeria glomerata) or the Taganana Cabezón (Cheirolopus tagananensis), both endemic to the Anaga area.
“In these rugged areas, resources are limited and competition is high, so presence of invasive alien species it’s a problem. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the actions carried out for its control have adequate frequency and effectiveness,” explains Blanca Pérez.
Citizen participation through environmental volunteering It is essential for the recovery of this environment. The amateur volunteers accompanied as sport climbing volunteers maintain, to this day, free of the cat’s tail, Roque de las Ánimas, while the crews support it by controlling it at the base.
In this way, a seat belt that keeps exotic species away of these critical enclaves, while accelerating the recovery of the areas by allowing local species to recolonize the land.
These joint actions have also been carried out in other places such as the Barranco del Tomadero (Anaga), the Afur highway, the Barranco de Cosme (Arafo) and in several places in the Teno Rural Park.
