On more than one occasion, while walking through Arrecife, we observed many unused plots in which the only thing there is rofe and nothing else. This is where the Environmental Association Arrecife Natura comes into play, a project that promotes the conservation and restoration of the endemic flora of Lanzarote within the capital where tabaibas, veroles or cornicales are the protagonists.
This initiative was born in 2019 from a group of friends whose passion was to visit the natural environment of the municipality of Arrecife. While walking through the different corners of the city, they decided to start planting "to help have more green areas in the capital." This is explained to the editors of La Voz by Matías Hernández, coordinator of Arrecife Natura.
Currently, the association has 12 active members, but when carrying out the activities, external people also join, such as the monitors. Anyone who wishes can join Arrecife Natura by sending an email or a message through social networks. You will only have to share the objectives of the entity and pay an annual fee of 25 euros.
When choosing a plot to carry out the plantations they carry out, first, the association requests authorization from the Parks and Gardens Area of the Arrecife City Council and, then, they coordinate with the gardening company PreZero, Food Sovereignty and Biosphere Reserve, the latter two belonging to the Cabildo, who, in addition, are the ones who normally provide the seedlings of the species. Other companies such as Taboire collaborate to finance educational activities.
Activities based on environmental education
Arrecife Natura, in addition to the work it carries out in the different premises, also strives to educate and make the youngest reflect on the biodiversity of Lanzarote. "We don't just do a planting and that's it, but we try to do an educational activity for the schools on the island so that, in addition to planting and they are the protagonists creating green areas, they can also learn about the importance of plants for people, for urban spaces, civics and feel part of this," explains Hernández.
In the same plot where the initiative is carried out, young people receive information about the biodiversity of Lanzarote that helps them to become aware. "First we do two group activities where they work on the importance of plants for people and the urban environment, and thus reflect and work as a team," he says. From there, they themselves present their reflections to share them with the whole group and they are informed about the plants available at that time, highlighting their traditional uses in Lanzarote.
After this part, in the practical part of planting, the association explains the planting technique used in Lanzarote, "such as not mixing the rofe with the layer of soil or fertilizing with compost."
In addition, these new urban green areas where endemisms reign are halfway between "imitating nature and what a garden is." In this sense, the use of species depends on the availability of the moment, normally native plants that come from the nursery with which the Biosphere Reserve has an agreement and Food Sovereignty. The latter take advantage of some of the plants that are removed from the farms to give them a new opportunity in these urban spaces.
The process from when the activity is conceived from the association until it is carried out begins before the start of the school year. "For planting activities, we first obtain the relevant permits, talk to the Cabildo to see the availability of plants, look for possible collaborating companies and, once we have everything, we start contacting educational centers to carry out this initiative," says the coordinator.
Some of the plantations that are carried out are not only dedicated to the youngest, but also to the neighborhood in general, so adults from the city participate in many of the days.
Care of planted species
After planting, water is essential for these plants to adapt to the new urban environment and, although they are native species, water in the first months is necessary for them to grow strongly. For this, many neighbors organize themselves to bring them water.
"At the beginning of the project, we tried to mobilize the neighbors, who went with bottles of water from their homes or when they caught them on the way to water, and what we did was publish photos of them on our social networks if they watered and sent us the photo," recalls Matías Hernández.
However, this trend was changing to leave this irrigation action to PreZero, the gardening company of the capital City Council, who water every so often even though there are still neighbors who continue to contribute water to the plants. "The water that is poured on them is not much either, so if someone waters more, better for the plants because they will grow more and be greener," indicates the coordinator.
Other Arrecife Natura projects
In addition to these planting activities, the association also carries out others such as Plantar Futuro in collaboration with the Cabildo of Lanzarote or Bosque de Ecopilas. Plantations have also been carried out in senior centers.
Collecting seeds of wisdom is another of the initiatives in which children from CEIP Los Valles and seniors from the Amavir residence participated, where they collected seeds of native plants, cleaned them and packaged them while sharing knowledge between them.
Arrecife Natura also collaborated with the IES Altavista to create a vertical garden in its facilities, called the IDAFE project, an initiative that reduces the impact of high temperatures inside the facilities.
These activities are just some of the many that have been launched from the association with the aim of awakening environmental awareness among the youngest, something essential to conserve the biodiversity of Lanzarote, which, let's not forget, is a Biosphere Reserve.
