The European Commission has decided this February to toughen the protection of the 300 hectares of the Maspalomas Dunes in the update of what is called the Macaronesian biogeographic region provided for in Directive 92/43/EEC that covers the archipelagos of Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and the Canary Islands (Spain), all of them located in the Atlantic Ocean. Fataga, Riscos de Tirajana and Barranco de Guayadeque are reinforced. Brussels has warned that "with these types of habitats and species, it cannot be concluded that the Natura 2000 network is complete."
In this way, as specified in the biogeographic map approved by the so-called Habitats Committee, more efficiency is put into the controls of places of community importance. The last update of this list where Maspalomas is located is from 2021 but the measures are adopted "within the framework of the dynamic adaptation of said network" given that places of community importance are periodically reviewed.
Spain proposed the measure on Maspalomas between September 17, 2021 and January 30, 2022. Knowledge about the existence and distribution of species and types of natural habitats has had weight in the EC's decision, constantly evolving as a consequence of surveillance carried out in accordance with Article 11 of Directive 92/43/EEC. Therefore, the assessment and selection of sites at Union level have been carried out using the best information available at the time.
