tenerife teno anaga marine reserves study

Tenerife final step to protect Teno and Anaga marine reserves

Decisive step for Tenerife’s marine protection

The Cabildo de Tenerife has taken a decisive step towards protecting the island’s natural marine environment by initiating the process to declare the Teno and Anaga marine reserves. This long-standing demand, first conceived 37 years ago by biologist Juan José Bacallado, has now been set in motion with the commissioning of a report that will form the basis of a proposal to be presented to the Spanish central government.

€230,000 study commissioned

The Cabildo has entrusted the document to the public company Tragsa Tec, at a cost of €230,000 and with a completion deadline of 12 months. This study is the prerequisite agreed upon by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Cabildo to definitively create these protected areas. According to the commission document, the objective is to “reverse” the “clear decline” of fishing resources.

Ideal sanctuaries for marine life

The marine reserve designation has been chosen to regenerate the marine biodiversity of a specific area and protect it with effective surveillance. It was clear from the outset that the two preferred zones, with exceptional natural value and great potential for biological recovery, were the coastlines of these massifs at the eastern and western ends of Tenerife. Their rugged underwater topography, diversity of habitats, and distance from major urban centres make them ideal sanctuaries.

Madrid meeting reignites project

In June 2024, a Canarian delegation travelled to Madrid to revive the projects. With this aim, the island’s president, Rosa Dávila, and the councillor for the Primary Sector, Valentín González, together with the Canarian government’s Agriculture councillor, Narvay Quintero, met with the central government’s Fisheries Secretary, María Artime. The state representative backed the initiative and asked the island administrations to submit a formal proposal. That step will now be taken with the study that has just been contracted.

Analysis of key sectors

The analysis will focus on identifying and examining the most relevant sectors operating in Teno and Anaga (fisheries, underwater activities, tourism), determining how to integrate environmental protection with this economic activity, and providing the data necessary for the legal processing of the reserves. Island councillor Valentín González explains that, given the scope of the conservation instrument, “one of the priorities of the study is that all involved sectors contribute their input and that it is carried out with the maximum consensus.”

A milestone for the island

The culmination of this process with the establishment of the Teno and Anaga marine reserves will represent “a milestone” for Tenerife, according to González. It will guarantee the future of artisanal fishing and the fishermen’s guilds, protect ecosystems, and promote the consumption of local fish under sustainable criteria.

Previous advances and rich biodiversity

There have already been advances prior to this crucial step. In 2010, the Cabildo plenary approved the zoning of these areas, later validated by the regional government. They cover 47 kilometres: 23 in Teno and 24.5 in Anaga. Many of the 400 species that inhabit the island’s waters are found there. Likewise, the University of La Laguna and the Spanish National Research Council have already produced reports supporting the enormous natural value of these blue-life paradises.

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