The Cabildo of Lanzarote has completed the process to transform the Department of the Aula de la Naturaleza de Máguez into an Environmental Education Unit with greater powers, mainly in the development of strategic documents on sustainability and in the development of education and interpretation programs of the natural and cultural heritage of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
“We want to give a boost to Environmental Education and this new Unit will be a specialized tool in environmental dissemination and in field work in the educational and didactic field in all island policies”, explained the Councilor of the Environment Area, Samuel Martín.
The restructuring of the Department is due to a Presidential decree approved on April 24, 2024 and which has been reported in the plenary session of the Island Council held this Tuesday, May 28.
The decree establishes “to transform the Aula de la Naturaleza within the organizational chart of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, into an Environmental Education Unit; as well as to give a new name to the Council that will be renamed Area of the Biosphere Reserve, Environment (Environmental Education Unit, Geopark, House of Volcanoes, Papagayo Camping), Climate Change, Coordination of the Spokesperson of the Political Groups, Fishing, Hunting, Food Sovereignty and Landscape”.
“The Aula de la Naturaleza de Máguez will continue to have its current functions in the development of Environmental Education programs for a number of days, with organized and small groups, mainly of students, but now it will be under the name of Environmental Education Unit, which will be the one to manage the service”, adds Samuel Martín.
Among the new functions of the Environmental Education Unit, according to the approved decree, are the planning, organization and coordination in the development of strategic documents and/or intersectoral frameworks in the field of Environmental Education for Sustainability that are aimed at different sectors of society.
It will also develop education and interpretation programs of the Natural and Cultural Heritage, will be responsible for the dissemination and dissemination of environmental information through the media and the design and management of resources and materials of a didactic nature on environmental sustainability, among other functions and powers.
The Environmental Education Unit has its base of operations in the same dependencies of the Aula de la Naturaleza de Máguez that are currently in a process of reform and improvement of the facilities after the award of the works with an investment of more than 190,000 euros from the Canary Islands Development Fund (FDCAN).