The Councilor of the Biosphere Reserve, Environment, Geopark, Landscape and Food Sovereignty of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Samuel Martín, has stated that, "although it is not time to celebrate, everything points to a positive impact of the work of the Information Team of the Biosphere Reserve, which is deployed daily on the natural and sensitive spaces of Lanzarote to warn visitors of the fragility of the space they travel and inform them of its singularities and environmental values." The team began its work last August.
During the meeting to return experiences and proposals for service improvements, a forum held in the Cabildo with the presence of the Councilor himself, four of the professionals who currently perform this work conveyed their optimism regarding the balance of their daily task. In their opinion, repeat tourism or those who receive advice in their first days of stay in Lanzarote, and become aware of the vulnerability of the territory they travel, change their attitude towards a behavior of greater respect.
The coordinator of GESPLAN, Alejandro Padrón, indicated that, according to the latest record of incidents, dated November 30, the informants have intervened on 3,843 occasions, of which more than a thousand were for access to restricted areas, more than 900 times for alteration of the natural environment, more than 500 for loose animals, and notably, also for reasons of law and order or cleanliness, damage and deterioration.
The reduction of cases compared to the summer months could respond to a lower influx of people to tourist attractions or, as one of the informants pointed out, to the different profile of summer and winter travelers. The prominent role of people who accompany excursions or surf schools was also mentioned, who have apparently incorporated the message of protection and respect for the territory.
In general, the informants attribute the misbehavior to ignorance about the environmental values of the landscapes being traversed, sometimes due to poor information from digital applications about trails, protected areas, or drone flights, so it was advocated to update official information tools.
Consultations on the ground
In this line, along with the incidents, the consultations of people who visit the natural spaces are also recorded, which have totaled nearly 2,500 since the beginning of the service. By location, the greatest curiosity is aroused in El Golfo, the Corona Volcano and the Cuervo Volcano, and by typology, the questions point mostly to the passable trails, available services and the orography of the island.
As detailed by Councilor Samuel Martín, “since last August, thanks to a three-month contract promoted by the Biosphere Reserve and awarded to the public company Gestión y Planeamiento Territorial y Medioambiental (GESPLAN), which was extended until next January, eight informants (seven at present) are located in areas especially stressed by tourist visits, to disseminate the peculiarities of the Lanzarote ecosystems, point out to those who travel the natural spaces the behavior to follow and collect data to optimize the use and management of landscape and environmental resources.”
The collection of this information will allow in future contracts the restructuring of surveillance spaces, the reinforcement of personnel or the incorporation of new variables to be taken into account, as has already happened in the first extension process.
The transversal nature of the dissemination of respect for the nature of Lanzarote has generated interdepartmental synergies, so that technical personnel from Tourism, Environmental Education Unit, Environment, Geopark, Landscape and Food Sovereignty and Biosphere Reserve and Environment agents participate in this and other meetings.
