SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE Jan. 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, is examining avenues for collaboration with the Oceanographic Centre of the Canary Islands, an institution affiliated with the Higher Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), which concentrates on marine preservation and enhancing coastal safety.
This was disclosed during a working meeting that took place on Tuesday at the centre’s premises, attended by the Minister for the Natural Environment, Blanca Pérez; the Minister for Innovation, Juan José Martínez; the director and manager of the Oceanographic Centre of the Canary Islands, Jesús Arrieta and Sebastián Jiménez, respectively, along with the CSIC’s delegate in the Canary Islands, Manuel Nogales.
“The Oceanographic Centre of the Canary Islands is among the most advanced centres globally concerning scientific investigations into our oceans and seas. The Cabildo is particularly interested in specific initiatives that we hope to advance; these initiatives relate to the prevention and preservation of the oceans through the installation of 11 radars designed to provide reliable data regarding potential spill behaviour. We must remember that large vessels navigate our waters, and we are situated in a region noted for its marine conservation, hence our responsibility to safeguard it and remain vigilant about possible pollution,” Dávila stated in a communication issued by the corporation.
Furthermore, the island president emphasised a project aimed at setting up an alert system for coastal zones frequented by bathers, enabling the collection of marine chemistry data in areas with specific emissaries to establish a proactive alert mechanism.
In this context, Dávila adds, “we are proposing three buoys that would continuously gather samples and allow us to monitor water turbidity.”
In line with this, she indicated a desire to engage in the restoration of the marine ecosystem, the conservation of the oceans, and the understanding of marine dynamics, as climate change will necessitate “greater caution in areas at risk of flooding.” Thus, “the comprehensive expertise that the Oceanographic Centre of the Canary Islands has accumulated over a century will significantly aid in all protective measures, development, and, of course, initiatives that will be applicable in real-time.”
Jesús Arrieta, the director of the Canary Islands Oceanographic Centre, conveyed his appreciation to the island president for her interest in projects “where synergy with the Cabildo can be established, such as the network of radar stations, implementing a recreational water monitoring system to offer real-time protection to bathers against occasional sewage ingress in certain island areas, developing a comprehensive library to enable a swifter response to volcanic emergencies and to analyse the types of volcanism currently observed in comparison with historical data, a project aimed at preserving a collection of biological samples, and ultimately a programme to breed Seba in captivity for subsequent repopulation efforts.”
COLLABORATION WITH THE CSIC
The Cabildo of Tenerife and the Higher Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) uphold a collaborative framework through a general protocol of actions, allowing for the execution of joint initiatives across various domains of responsibility shared by the two organisations.
In the Canary Islands, the CSIC operates three research centres: the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA), the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME), and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO).
In this regard, the Cabildo is already executing projects with the IPNA, including the ‘Scientific Research Plan for Natural Products and Agrobiology’, which has an allocation of 2,150,000 euros, and the establishment of a Natural Products Bookstore, with a budget of 1.2 million euros.
