The Biosphere Reserve office of Lanzarote will pay tribute to the botanist Wolfredo Wildpret de la Torre, considered a referential figure in scientific research on the natural history of the Canary Islands. The Cabildo thus recognizes the disinterested collaboration of the emeritus doctor in Biology from the University of La Laguna as a member of the Council between 1996 and 2009 and in many other responsibilities.
The event will be held at the Santo Domingo Convent in Teguise and in the gardens of the Plaza Camilo José Cela, on March 28 starting at 6:30 p.m. For that same morning, a private visit is planned to the reforestation area of the Famara peaks.
The one who was an essential participant in the creation of the Faculty of Biology and the Department of Botany of the University of Tenerife, will be the protagonist of an evening with all the ingredients to satisfy his multiple concerns, from the inauguration of a Canarian garden, whose specimens of endemic species will be planted by some of his former students, to a musical recital in the Santo Domingo convent.
In addition, videos of congratulations and gratitude for the work carried out throughout a lifetime will be projected, along with interventions from the world of science, teaching, family members, former students and members of the Biosphere Reserve Council.
During the tribute, Wolfredo Wildpret de la Torre will receive the Pancho Lasso medal from the Cabildo of Lanzarote, a distinction from the Teguise City Council and a commemorative award from the Biosphere Reserve office.
According to the Councilor of the Biosphere Reserve, Samuel Martín, the professor already received the applause and warmth of Lanzarote in the Council session of October 15, 2009, on the occasion of his retirement from university work: "He was decorated with the Golden Crab of the Island Corporation and recognized for his brilliant interventions in representation of the University of La Laguna and for his tenacity and love for the island. And in 2016, the Cabildo designated him Biosphere Reference, in the second edition of these awards, destined to identify, publicly recognize and disseminate the work of people, groups, organizations and companies that develop projects, experiences and actions that benefit the entire island society," he says.
Wildpret visited Lanzarote for the first time in 1969 with the group of students from the first promotion of Biological Sciences of La Laguna, a university to which he dedicated forty-two years uninterruptedly.
He is a member of the Advisory Council of the César Manrique Foundation since its constitution and considered as one of the very few voices that, with absolute freedom of criteria, from the field of the university and scientific rigor, raise the territory and natural heritage of the Canary Islands as a challenge.
