The Cabildo of Lanzarote and the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands will execute a Plan for the control and eradication of the Diocalandra frumenti plague - or weevil of the four spots - to save the palm grove of Lanzarote.
From the Cabildo they point out that this initiative is the result of a collaboration agreement signed between both institutions, announced this Tuesday in the regional Parliament by the councilor José Antonio Valbuena in response to a question from the island's president, María Dolores Corujo.
The First Corporation details that the "Diocalandra frumenti control and eradication Plan" responds to the need to act "urgently" against an invasive parasite that arrived on the island in foreign specimens imported, mainly from Southeast Asia, and that has become a "real" threat to the survival of the Lanzarote palm grove.
"The abandonment and neglect of previous administrations have caused a critical situation in one of the most significant palm groves in the archipelago due to its landscape importance, its tourist attraction and its ornamental value," said Corujo. "A simple visual inspection reveals that its state of health is far from being considered not optimal but adequate,” he added.
"Global biodiversity is threatened by the effects of climate change, but this environmental problem takes on greater dimensions in territories such as Lanzarote, where the most recent studies reflect that around 80% of the island's palm trees are affected by the weevil of the four spots, a parasite that considerably reduces the photosynthetic capacity of the plant," explained Corujo.
The president of the Cabildo has thanked "the sensitivity" of the Government of the Canary Islands and has made a call to the entire population. "We are going to do everything necessary to recover one of our most representative and symbolic natural elements of the island, but the commitment of public administrations, private entities and individuals with prevention regulations and the application of the indicated treatments is essential so that we can once again enjoy the healthy and beautiful palm grove that makes our landscape unmistakable," he concluded.
The Diocalandra frumenti control and eradication Plan
According to the Cabildo, the initiative will be executed by technicians and specialized personnel from the public company Gestión del Medio Rural de Canarias (GMR) in two phases.
Initially, a diagnosis of the condition of both the natural palm groves and the specimens located in the green areas of the island will be carried out. Once the results are available, the appropriate phytosanitary treatments will be applied to the affected specimens to "initiate their recovery, on the one hand, and stop the spread of the parasite to the surrounding palm trees, on the other."
This agreement has an initial budget of two million euros, which will be paid 50% between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Lanzarote, and a duration of four years.
