La Palma conservation areas

Environmentalists on La Palma have good cards - primarily what pollution factors affects from the outside. The beaches are clean, and the water quality of the Atlantic Ocean is very good, because the island is located outside the main shipping routes. This is checked and certified since many years: At five major beaches around La Palma blows the blue flag of FEE. You’ll find lots of information about the beaches in our La Palma24 Journal click here

Even the air is very pure due the absence of industrial chimneys. Not even light contaminates the sky above La Palma. Screened streetlights ensure that astronomers can look untroubled day and night into the space. The "cleanest air in the world" was in 1985 the reason to build an international observatory at the Roque de los Muchachos. The stargazers and telescopes on the highest mountain of the island were and are famous around the world. Get actual information about the observatory in our La Palma24 Journal click here.

If you look from the Roque or another vantage point down, La Palma shows its legendary beauty. This owes the Isla Bonita the East-West trade. On one hand it brings rain so that the island can become green and flourish. On the other hand the trade winds have made that the ice age has not occurred La Palma.

So it happens today that hikers walk through the forest with giant ferns and creepers like the dinosaurs in the past. The laurel forest of Los Tilos in the natural park of Las Nieves is one of the last of its kind - and so the UNESCO has declared this corner of the island in 1983 as a Biosphere Reserve. A very high praise for this palmerian enchanted forest, where you can discover exotic plants as Laurissilva-, Mahogany-, Ebony-, and Strawberry- trees or even the Canary snowball. Because a biosphere reserve is more than a nature reserve - this predicate only get unique ecosystems in the world. Claimed goal: Constant controls of the natural reaction to the actions from humans will ensure and care that everything still is as in the 'good old days'.

With this title La Palma had in 1983 his nose ahead on the Canary Islands. Topped has this the UNESCO in 2002 with its award - the whole island was named a Biosphere Reserve

Also the Government of the Canary Islands looks after things. They made in 1953 the giant volcano rim 'Caldera de Taburiente' as National Park. More areas of La Palma are protected since 1987, in example the Natural Park 'Cumbre Vieja' in the south of the island with its impressive lunar landscape.

This territorial protection affect in practice different things. The range is from very strict regulations like restricted zones up to areas that may can be changed only with the consent of the authorities. The requirements from the local environmental protection reaches sometimes even into the private properties on La Palma. Who wants, for example, to remove a dead canary pine in his own garden, needs an approval from “Medio-Ambiente”. Reason: These incredible trees that grow even after fires again, are protected.

One thing to fire: islanders and guests should never throw cigarettes or glass bottles in the landscape. Fire grows quickly and can spread to gigantic fires as in the year of 2009. In 2009 big parts of the nature on La Palma and numerous houses from Mazo over the Cumbre Vieja until down to Fuencaliente were victims of the flames.

We have once made an interview with the former Environment Council of La Palma in our La Palma24 Journal click here.