No. 25 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

16
The fact that the island of Gran Canaria is
considered a miniature continent means it
lends itself as laboratory for numerous and
highly diverse situations. It is like looking
at a small board and seeing what happens
in different scenarios that have very different
realities and dynamics. For example,
the southern slope of the island is ideal
for analysing the system of mobile dunes
and its oasis landscape next to the Atlantic,
with the environmental impacts that
transform it, both natural and man-made.
A few kilometres away by road, the land ascends
to the pine forests at 2,000 metres
above sea level, on the peaks, which are almost
within touching distance of the stars.
The route winds through ravines flanked
by huge walls of rock, burnt by the sun all
year round, looking towards the tropics.
GET TO KNOW GRAN CANARIA I CONOCE GRAN CANARIA EDICIÓN 25
Eco fire-fighters
A radically different image can be found
on the northern slopes of the island, where
the humidity of the trade winds breeze in
on the remaining areas of laurel and Monteverde
forest that once covered the entire
landscape and which a few hundred years
ago was known as the Doramas jungle. The
forest was so lush that it did not allow the
sun's rays to filter through to the ground.
Today it is a space that recalls the great
transformation that turned this area into
farmland, taking advantage of every millimetre
thanks to stone walls that turned
the slopes of the mountains into terraces.
Down at the coast, in the north, east and
south, there are sprawls of large tracts that
for years were Europe's food larder, a time
when vegetables and fruit were sent to
the ports of Canary Warf and Rotterdam
in winter. But globalisation hit the primary
sector hard and the ground began to be
covered with wild vegetation and the new
conservationist policy limited traditional
activities in the forests, which made clearing
more difficult and led to the accumulation
of biomass.
Forest fires have had catastrophic effects
in recent decades. Thousands of hectares
have been devastated by fire, but the island
has a unique quality, as the Canary
Island pine and other associated plants are
fire-resistant. Even so, the causes and the
means to avoid new disasters have been
analysed and, above all, the risk to people,
as there is a notable scattering of dwellings,
as well as interface zones in the transition
from forest to agricultural and urban areas.
However, despite the number of hectares
burned, there have been no fatalities.
A lot of work is carried out all year round
to prevent the worst effects of major forest
fires. And a coalition has been set up
between forest fire-fighters and people
directly linked to the areas at greatest risk
of fire. The Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the
driving force behind this initiative that
unites the agents with farmers and stockbreeders,
is behind an institutional and social
pact that recognises the decisive role
played by cattle herding, not only as a producer
of top quality local foodstuffs, but
also as a land manager in the fight against
large-scale forest fires.
Grazing has become an essential tool for
the future of rural management. For this
reason, payment is made in return for environmental
services, in this case payment
to shepherds for the fire prevention service
they provide, while guaranteeing the
maintenance of soil fertility, water regulation
and the conservation of biodiversity,
which is a source of quality, sustainable
and local food, among other aspects.
This agreement is part of Gran Canaria
Mosaico stategy, introduced to ensure the
prevention of large forest fires which promotes
the recovery of diverse, inhabited
and less fire-prone landscapes based on
agricultural, livestock and forestry activities,
with the collaboration of shepherds,
farmers and forestry agents. Firebreaks
are created at key points where the flames
would normally connect with other ravines
or areas, and prevent their spread thanks
to grazing in conjunction with controlled
burning carried out by forest fire-fighters,
plus invisible containment walls that are
able to save lives, homes and the natural
environment.