The UNESCO Global Geopark Lanzarote and Chinijo Archipelago has been distinguished with the Good Practices Award within the framework of the 11th UNESCO Global Geoparks International Conference, recently held in Chile. This meeting, considered the most important at a scientific level in its field, brought together more than 500 experts from 50 countries including academics, researchers and geopark managers.
The Lanzarote delegation, made up of technicians from the Geopark Area, received the accrediting diploma for the Portal Anquialino citizen science project, developed last May on the island. This initiative has had the participation of students from institutes in Lanzarote and voluntary citizens in the counting of jameítos, the small endemic crustacean of the island's underground waters, within a pioneering study on these unique ecosystems in the world.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, highlighted the importance of this international recognition and stressed that "this award places Lanzarote and the Chinijo Archipelago at the forefront of research and scientific dissemination linked to our natural heritage. It is a pride that the work of our Geopark is recognized by UNESCO, because it means that we are moving in the right direction: uniting science, education and sustainability to protect what makes us unique."
The Councilor for Geopark, Samuel Martín, who was very satisfied with this important distinction, pointed out that "the Anquialino Portal Congress has allowed us to promote science and the protection of our natural environment, while giving international visibility to the uniqueness of our underground ecosystems. It is especially gratifying to see how young people and citizens get involved in projects of this level, because citizen science connects us with global scientific networks and strengthens our commitment to a more conscious and sustainable society," said Martín.
During the celebration of the congress, Geopark Lanzarote and Chinijo Archipelago, in collaboration with the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of Lanzarote, presented several works on planetary analogues by CACT personnel and a poster on the Citizen Science project Portal Anquialino in collaboration with Dr. Alejandro Martínez (CNR-IRSA, Italy), Cristina Camacho and the Geopark team.
