The Island Government Council approves the start of the PORN (Natural Resources Management Plan), to mitigate the impact generated in the enclave by recreational uses associated with the beach and the denaturalization of the environment by the occupation of tourist urbanisations.
“We aim for greater protection for the Dunes, while also ensuring compatibility with human uses and preventing construction or human activity from causing further erosion in this valuable territory,” says Inés Miranda.
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The Island Government Council of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, at the request of the Councilor for Territorial Policy and Landscape, Inés Miranda, gave the green light this Thursday to the proposal to start the procedure for the preparation of the Natural Resources Management Plan of the Maspalomas Dunes (C-7), with which the future of the enclave will be protected, ensuring that the necessary conditions for its conservation are maintained.
In the words of Inés Miranda, “the Maspalomas Dunes Special Nature Reserve is an emblematic and identity-defining place in Gran Canaria and, therefore, it should have a planning instrument that allows for its greater protection, while also ensuring compatibility with any uses that may occur within it.”
In this regard, he stated that it is "an area where a very varied and unique biodiversity develops on the planet," hence he stressed that "we must conserve this natural protection that the Dunes provide, which, at the same time, protect us and act as a natural barrier against coastal erosion and the adversity of climate change."
The councilor also emphasized that this Nature Reserve is currently experiencing a significant impact from human activities related to both recreational uses of the beach and the alteration of its natural environment due to the development of tourist resorts. These circumstances make it vitally important to ensure its protection and to reconcile the type and intensity of uses it accommodates with the conservation of its natural values.
“Obviously, a number of human activities take place in this area, which inevitably cause some deterioration,” Miranda acknowledged. “We want to enhance the value of this location and reconcile tourism, hiking, and regular swimming with the development of all the biodiversity in this natural space,” he asserted.
“In short, the Gran Canaria Island Council, through the Department of Territorial Policy and Landscape, aims for greater protection for the Maspalomas Dunes, while ensuring compatibility with human uses and preventing construction or human activity from causing further erosion in this valuable area, which puts Gran Canaria on the world map of tourism and development,” he concluded.
Thus, with these premises, the Natural Resources Management Plan for the Maspalomas Dunes is the specific instrument that will delimit and categorize this space to be protected for its natural values, since it will identify the most significant elements of the territory's natural heritage, establish the appropriate criteria for its conservation, and define the measures that will allow the development of activities and uses that are compatible with its protection.
Nearly 404 hectares to be protected
The Maspalomas Dunes Special Nature Reserve is located on an alluvial plain at the southern tip of Gran Canaria, within the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and covers an area of 403,9 hectares. It is bordered to the north by the tourist resorts of Playa del Inglés and Campo de Golf, to the west by the resorts of El Oasis and Campo Internacional, and to the south and east by the 6-kilometer-long stretch of coastline encompassing Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas beaches.
Specifically, it should be emphasized that, with the exception of the palm grove area, the scope of this Nature Reserve is included in the public maritime-terrestrial domain and is mainly defined by the Dune Field, the Maspalomas Pond, the Oasis Palm Grove and the Tony Gallardo Park.
One by one, and in detail, the Dune Field constitutes a dynamic habitat, where the sand circulates naturally thanks to the fragile balance between the sand, the wind, and the ocean currents. As a result, the dunes create a landscape of great beauty, which has become one of Gran Canaria's main tourist attractions. Therefore, its conservation is vital because, in addition to supporting unique biodiversity, it forms an important natural barrier against coastal erosion and the effects of climate change.
Similarly, the Maspalomas Pond, located in the final stretch of the Maspalomas ravine, is a brackish water lagoon, in which the vegetation that grows both in its surroundings and inside serves as a nesting place for native birds and a refuge for a wide variety of migratory species, which together form a natural environment of great quality and scientific interest.
A similar situation exists with the Oasis Palm Grove, located west of the Maspalomas ravine, which is a remnant of the former Maspalomas oasis. It is a palm grove-tamare thicket habitat that is currently divided in two by Touroperador Neckerman Avenue.
And finally, in the northern part of that Palm Grove is located the fourth element of the Natural Reserve, the Tony Gallardo Park, which has recently been restored and prepared for visitors.
