SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE Jan. 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo of Tenerife has distributed assistance for the rehabilitation of agricultural systems impacted by the wildfire that occurred in the summer of 2023 across the municipalities of Arafo, Candelaria, El Rosario, Tacoronte, el Sauzal, La Matanza, La Victoria, Santa Úrsula, La Orotava, and Los Realejos.
Valentín González, the advisor for the Primary Sector, notes in a statement that this aid, benefiting over 50 agricultural systems affected by the fire, totals 250,000 euros and aims to restore and preserve the damaged agroecosystems, particularly in the urban-forest interface, which is predominantly occupied by ancient systems, temperate fruit trees, and dryland orchards of immeasurable ecological significance.
González stresses that “the economic, social, and environmental repercussions linked to the fire jeopardise the future of the agricultural-forestry interface, which must be cultivated to avert the spread of fires to residential areas.”
For these reasons, he asserts, “the recovery of agroecosystems is of utmost importance.”
Through this funding initiative, the Cabildo aims to “rehabilitate and safeguard traditional agricultural systems, preserve agricultural practices associated with traditional agroecosystems, maintain cultivated biodiversity, mitigate the effects of climate change, restore environmental values, and protect rural population centres.”
These grants will be allocated to repairing damage to storage facilities, perimeter fencing, and affected agricultural equipment, as well as irrigation systems.