No. 34 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

30
GET TO KNOW GRAN CANARIA I CONOCE GRAN CANARIA EDICIÓN 34
The Jardín Canario, a constantly evolving living treasure
Famous not only for their idyllic beaches and volcanic
landscapes, the Canary Islands are also home to a unique
botanical world which, over the years, has gained international
prominence as one of the most interesting areas
of flora. This is thanks to the large number of unique
species it possesses, making the Canary Islands today a
natural laboratory for the evolution of plants. Aware of
this, the Swedish botanist Eric Sventenius, while he was
working in Tenerife in the Acclimatisation Garden of La
Orotava, dreamed of and set himself a titanic task: to
create a botanical garden that would bring together all
the endemic flora of the Canary Islands in order to preserve
and protect it. He scoured the region and studied
all corners of the islands until he came across an unbeatable
spot in Gran Canaria, next to the Guiniguada
ravine, just seven kilometres from the island's capital
city. It was an ideal location, sheltered from the winds,
and was capable of generating a microclimate of humidity
that was just perfect for the conservation of the
species. Some time later he proposed his construction
plans to the then president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria,
Matías Vega Guerra, who agreed to realise his
dream in 1952, granting him 27 hectares of land.
From that moment on, Eric Sventenius was tireless
in his efforts, and by meticulously exploring all the islands
of the archipelago he came up with all the natural
material necessary to begin his enterprise. But the
work of Swedish botanist went much further, as he
was forced to adapt the terrain of what would become
the botanical garden to the different habitats present
on the islands. He also had to envision what the area
would be like at least 40 years into the future, to the
time when all the species would to reaching their full
development. Sventenius faced exceptional challenges
in meticulously laying out the garden's paths, defining
the watercourses and choosing the palette of shades
that would adorn the plants as they matured throughout
the park. He stated that a botanical garden should
never be considered finished, which is why it was never
officially inaugurated. It only opened its doors to the
public in 1959 under the name of the Viera y Clavijo Botanical
Garden, in honour of the 18th century Canarian
writer, biologist and naturalist historian José de Viera y
Clavijo, a pioneer of natural sciences who wrote the first
dictionary of Natural History of the Canary Islands and
was the first person to come up with the idea of creating
a Botanical Garden dedicated to the flora of the
Canary Islands.
Years later, right in front of the park, a tragic car accident
took Sventenius' life in 1973 and cut short his dream
of seeing the garden in all its glory, but he did get to
oversee a magnificent public garden with astonishing
landscapes, a mixture of botanical garden and town
park, with fountains, waterfalls, gazebos and bridges.
Now, his final resting place is in a loving grave in the
grounds of the park itself. Since this tragic event, the
Jardín Canario, as it is also known, established itself as a
leading centre for research, conservation and environmental
education. New facilities were erected to house
laboratories, a library, herbarium and nursery. Since
then, the park has expanded its collection with plants
from all corners of the planet, becoming a magnet for
international researchers and a benchmark in environmental
education. Today, it manages to bring together
and conserve in a single place not only all the botanical
wealth of the Canary Islands, but also the rest of
the Macaronesia region, comprising the Azores, Cape
Verde, Madeira and the Wild Islands, making it the largest
botanical garden in Spain and one of the best of its
kind in the world.
The Viera y Clavijo Botanical Garden is open to the public
every day throughout the year and has no entrance
fee. Inside, highlights include areas such as the Garden
of the Islands, an extensive 7,000 square metres of land
adorned with an abundance of pines, dragon trees and
palm trees. In addition to this impressive space, visitors
are captivated by other wonders such as the neatly laid
out palm grove, which welcomes every visitor with its
exotic charm; the fascinating cactus garden, home to
2,000 specimens from different continents; the evocative
ornamental macaronesian garden, a selection of
plants, many of them endangered species, from the
other archipelagos of the region. And visitors must not
forget to visit two very popular places in the garden: the
amazing laurel forest and the seed bank, whose mission
is to preserve samples of plants native to the Canary
Islands and the other Macaronesian archipelagos
at the appropriate temperature.
Taking a leisurely stroll in the shade of trees, enjoying
the colourful flowers and being pleasantly surprised
by the whimsical shapes of some of its plants makes
for a wonderful day out, either alone or accompanied,
and can be easily done in around two hours. This little
corner, which stands as a true Noah's ark of plant
life, invites visitors to explore its amazing variety of flora,
highlighting the importance of the Canary Islands as
a unique enclave for lovers of biodiversity. Visitors are
highly recommended to immerse themselves in this
unique experience, which demonstrates that the Canary
Islands are indeed a true natural treasure.