Fuerteventura Island Council steps up monitoring and control of public use at Isla de Lobos

Fuerteventura Island Council will step up monitoring and control of public use at Islote de Lobos Natural Park through a new service to be managed by Gesplan.

The initiative forms part of the €277,434 added by the plenary of the Island Council to fund various measures related to environmental management, biodiversity conservation and the protection of Fuerteventura’s natural areas.

Island Council president Lola García said: “Lobos is one of our most valuable natural areas and also one of those under the greatest pressure from visitors. We need to keep improving its management and strengthening controls to ensure its conservation.”

García added: “Protecting our natural areas also means managing how they are used and anticipating problems. We want visitors to Lobos to enjoy it, but always with respect for an environment that is particularly fragile.”

Environment councillor Carlos Rodríguez said the new service would strengthen work to control public use and help improve the management of the Natural Park.

“This is about continuing to introduce tools that will help us look after Lobos better, improve information and controls, and ensure that visits are compatible with protecting its natural assets,” Rodríguez said.

New environmental measures on the island

Alongside the planned work at Lobos, the Island Council will use part of this funding to create a preliminary network of climate refuges in Fuerteventura’s protected natural areas, in response to extreme heat, with the aim of helping to conserve biodiversity.

Improvements will also be made to the La Oliva Biological Station, which is run by the Island Council. The work will focus on the roof of its environmental education classroom, a space dedicated to learning, public engagement and bringing the island’s natural heritage closer to the community.

The Island Council will also continue to step up efforts to restore and protect Fuerteventura’s natural Phoenix canariensis palm groves through a cooperation agreement with the Canary Islands Government for their treatment and conservation.

In addition, the Island Council and the Biosphere Reserve are taking part in the Palmac project, which works to help palm groves adapt to factors such as external pests and environmental change through genetic techniques and predictive models.

Lola García and Carlos Rodríguez said these measures would allow work to continue towards more active management of natural areas and the conservation of Fuerteventura’s environmental heritage.