Thursday, July 05, 2007
Reforestation in the Parque Rural de Teno
The Teno Alto PlateauThe Tenerife island corporation is to undertake another reforestation project in two estates, the Fincas La Siete and El Buj�o, situated on the Teno Alto plateau in the Teno Rural Park.
This is being done to combat erosion that has been affecting the area - a problem currently affecting all of Spain - in this case, caused by the weather and, by farming and tourist activities. The existing footpath is to be improved, with steps installed to make the slopes easier to traverse and less prone to erosion, in an attempt to strike a balance between conservation and the traditional uses of the land. 
Myrica fayaThe authorities plan to repopulate the area with acebi�o (Ilex canariensis) - a local species of the familiar Holly; faya fir trees (Myrica faya) and laurel (laurel-leaved evergreen hardwood trees) that are all part of the important Laurisilva ("laurel forest"), an endemic type of humid subtropical laurel cloud forest found on several of the Macaronesian islands of the North Atlantic, namely Madeira Islands, the Azores and the Canary Islands, a precious relic of the Pliocene subtropical forests.
It's interesting to read that Myrica faya is native to Macaronesia (the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands), yet in the Hawaiian archipelago, this fire tree is an invasive exotic plant species (designated as a noxious weed) that jeopardizes the survival of Hawaii?s native plant communities and is subject to control there. It was introduced there, in the 1920s and 30s for watershed reclamation until its invasive qualities were recognized.
On face value, there do seem to be marked similarities between the volcanic Canary Islands and the equally volcanic Hawaiian islands (just for the record, Hawaii?s Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea are the two largest volcanos on earth, which Tenerife's Mount Teide is the third largest), but this just goes to show you how fragile and different each of these ecosystems is in reality.
Tenerife in general and the Teno Rural Park in particular, also have more than their fair share of invasive species that they battle against constantly.
When you think of all those exotic species that the Victorians, particularly, were so keen travel the length and breadth of the earth in search of, bring home and grow in their gardens ... Great discoveries, of course, but now we're learning about the real cost of those horticultural "immigrants."
Roughly 60 km� of laurisilva remains on Tenerife, much of which is in the Teno Rural Park, either on the Macizo de Teno (Teno Massif) on the slopes of the Pico de Barac�n or Monte del Agua. 
Ilex canariensisAcebi�o or acebo canario are the local names given to (Ilex canariensis) a small-leaved holly also endemic to the Macaronesian islands and the Canary Islands archipelago, which is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It's a shrub or small tree growing up to 10 meters in hight, with oval leaves that have little or none of the spine-tipped serrations so familiar on its more northerly cousins. It produces white petaled flowers and red berries. Other reasons for its demise are that the Canarian holly has been used for le�a (firewood) for cooking guarapo and for use in making domestic and agricultural utensils.
The plant must be thought quite special though, because in 1973 the Acevi�o or Ilex canariensis appeared on a Spanish 5 peseta postage stamp, against a backdrop of Mount Teide.
Knowing that this holly species grows here in Tenerife, on La Palma and on the neighboring island of La Gomera, you might wonder why it is not traditionally a part of Christmas here - apart from the plastic variety, which must baffle the locals. That is because, although it does produce red berries, similar to those of its northern cousin, the Ilex aquifolium, the berries on the Canarian holly do not appear until the end of spring.
Acebi�o (Ilex canariensis) in fruit in the Parque Nacional de Garajonay, La Gomera
Acebi�o (Ilex canariensis) in flower in the Parque Nacional de Caldera del Taburiente, La Palma
Another image of Ilex canariensis in flower
Ilex canariensis Poir at Taganana. Tenerife
Acevi�o trees (Ilex canariensis) in cloud forest at 1,100 metres, Garajonay National Park, La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain World Heritage Site
El Cabildo aprueba un proyecto de reforestaci�n en el Parque Rural de Teno en Buenavista del norte
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