The origin of the work is remote. 20 years ago, the Cabildo initiated a plan for the reproduction and propagation of endemic and native flora of the island, with the help of a small group of local nature lovers. In the facilities of the Experimental Farm, Estanislao González, Alejandro Perdomo, Eloíno Perdomo and Lalo Betancort worked with care and dedication to collect, sow and germinate seeds of some 50 species, some of them in danger of extinction and many others included in the catalogs of threatened species of the Canary Islands.
Intuition and ingenuity led these amateur researchers to move the seedbeds according to the position of the sun, to sow in wet seasons, to transfer the seedlings from the trays to pots with the necessary affection to keep them lush.
After three years of dedication, thousands of plants of nearly 50 native species of Lanzarote began to be distributed around the island with great success. Public and private gardens lent space to local species, some of which still survive today the tough competition with ornamental flowers of standard gardening. This is the case of the gardens of the Castle of San José, Jameos del Agua, Monument to the Peasant or the airport of Guacimeta.
The project was halted for various reasons in 1996, when the nursery stopped its activity and the staff dispersed.
Aware of the importance and significance of that work, the technicians of the Biosphere Reserve Office decided to organize the notes of those responsible for the nursery, prepare files with images, characteristics of the crops, description of each species, area where it lives, degree of protection and medicinal and culinary properties. It is this work, coordinated and reviewed by biologists and experts of recognized prestige, which has become the book "The native plants of Lanzarote. Its use in gardening", thanks to the financial support of the Rotary Club, AENA and the City Council of Arrecife.
The study aims to become a working tool for professionals in gardening and landscaping but also for all those botany lovers who create their small gardens with an eye on the environment and the rich endemic flora of the island.
