Lanzarote has been the "most active" island in the Canary Islands for reporting the sighting of Invasive Alien Species in the natural environment. This has been announced by the Canary Islands Government, which states that since the new version of the RedEXOS mobile application of the Canary Islands Early Warning Network was launched, 4,660 alerts of sightings of invasive alien species have been received throughout the Archipelago: 600 of animals and the rest of exotic flora.
Of these alerts, more than a quarter came from Lanzarote, with 1,221 sightings. It is followed by Gran Canaria with 1,031, Tenerife (946), Fuerteventura (741), La Palma closely followed by El Hierro (279 and 260 respectively) and La Gomera with 170. "In all cases, the sightings are assessed and classified according to a level of priorities: green, yellow and red, which will depend on the species and its location and which serves to define subsequent actions," they specify from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning.
The Councilor responsible for the Area, José Antonio Valbuena, has thanked the citizens of the islands for their involvement in the preservation of Canary Islands biodiversity. "Considering that 42% of the territory of the Archipelago is dedicated to the conservation of nature, involving citizens in its protection by providing them with adequate and effective tools is essential because it increases the reach of the network, and the RedEXOS mobile application is a clear example of a technological development that optimizes communication between citizens and the Administration to protect, effectively and efficiently, the island's natural heritage," he defended.
"These data indicate that the strategy of the Canary Islands Government to involve the population in the protection of the island's natural environment, including citizen participation in the Early Warning Network through the RedEXOS application, is a success," say from the regional Executive, which recalls that this app is available for free on the digital platforms of Android and iOS.
Arruís in Tuineje and exotic plants in El Hierro and Tenerife
Thanks to citizen participation in this application, a group of arruís (Ammotragus lervia) has been sighted on the slope of a mountain in the municipality of Tuineje, after the report made by a citizen through the RedEXOS mobile application.
An example of the plant Austrocylindropuntia subulata was also located on the cliff of the Virgen de la Peña viewpoint, in the municipality of Valverde (El Hierro), which according to the Council "was the key to activating an operation that, through vertical work, eliminated the threat posed by this specimen in that difficult-to-access area."
The same thing happened in the municipality of Los Silos (Tenerife), after the alert was activated by a report from a citizen who sighted a specimen of Pluchea ovalis, a shrub that also aggressively displaces native flora and is already established in some areas of the island, outside the reach of the early warning network, and must be controlled so that it does not spread beyond its current distribution area. In this case, thanks to the warning, the team activated the early warning and intervened, preventing its spread in the northern area of the island.
