The Cabildo of Lanzarote has already initiated the procedures for the drafting of the Management and Use Master Plan (PRUG) of the Los Volcanes Natural Park. The Governing Council, held last Monday, approved the start of the public consultation, through the web portal of the first Corporation, of this important document. Thus, and for a period of one month, citizens and the most representative agents or organizations, potentially affected by it, may contribute their observations on the PRUG.
The Management and Use Master Plan of the Los Volcanes Natural Park is a legal instrument whose purpose is to order and manage the permitted uses in the park, guaranteeing the preservation of its natural values, its biodiversity and its geological heritage. The plan is a key step in consolidating sustainability and environmental protection in Lanzarote.
The president of the Island Council, Oswaldo Betancort, states that "the Los Volcanes Natural Park is an invaluable heritage for the island and for the Canary Islands in general. This Management and Use Master Plan will guarantee the protection of this unique space and will establish the bases for the activities within the park to be developed in a sustainable and respectful manner with the environment".
The Los Volcanes Natural Park, which covers an area of more than 10,000 hectares in the municipalities of Tinajo, Yaiza and Tías, includes unique landscapes such as volcanic flows and cones that surround the Timanfaya National Park. This space, protected by Law 4/2017 on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands, is classified as an area of high ecological and geological value, whose management requires a balance between conservation and human activities compatible with protection.
The Councilor for Territorial Planning and Territorial Policy, Jesús Machín Tavío, maintains that "this plan is of great relevance for the island, so we are opening a period of public consultation so that citizens, organizations and groups can contribute their vision. This phase of participation is crucial so that the plan reflects the concerns and needs of all, and is in tune with the reality of the territory".
Main objectives of the PRUG
The Management and Use Master Plan has several key objectives, including the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, the improvement of the landscape, and the restoration of habitats of species of community interest. In addition, it seeks to promote scientific research in the area, promote environmental education and improve the resilience of the park to the effects of climate change.
Another of its great challenges is to reconcile socio-economic development with the preservation of natural resources, as well as the management of economic activities within the park, ensuring that they are developed in a manner compatible with the protection of the environment, and adjust to the zoning defined, delimiting spaces with different degrees of protection, depending on the fragility of the ecosystem or its capacity.
The Cabildo of Lanzarote plans to have the draft and the initial strategic document of the PRUG of the Los Volcanes Natural Park in the first quarter of 2025.