Lanzarote to lose its biosphere status?

Thanks to its year round warm climate, Lanzarote attracts many tourists looking for a relaxing and lazy holiday in the sun. Perhaps what many tourists don’t realize is that Lanzarote is a Unesco biosphere site, one of only 564 in the world!

With pioneering use of land a large part of the western coast of Lanzarote has been declared a nature reserve, the volcanic Timanfaya National Park, which is largely intact except for a tour-bus route, camel rides and a restaurant where food is cooked over a naturally lava-heated barbecue pit.

However, thanks to the so called ‘illegal’ building of 24 hotels in coastal resorts such as Playa Blanca the island is in danger of losing its biosphere status. The Canary Island Supreme Court has ruled that these hotels have been built illegally, with EU grants – issued partly with thanks to the islands biosphere status!

The biosphere status was issued to the island based on its development plans to promote sustainable tourism that respected the environment. The Cesar Manrique Foundation, named after the late artist Cesar Manrique himself, fights the development of large concrete buildings such as hotels on the other Canary Islands.

However, as you will see from the larger hotels that have been built on the sea front in resorts such as Playa Blanca there is reason for concern with regards to the biosphere status of the island.

Maybe the saving grace is that it is the Cesar Manrique foundation who have in fact ‘whistle-blown’ on these developers which may give the island a fighting chance in retaining the biosphere status.

There is no doubt that some of the larger hotels, such as those in Playa Blanca have helped the towns tourism trade, but at what cost? Playa Blanca, one a small fishing port is now a vibrant tourist destination enticing people from all over Europe.

The island has proven that, for years, it has been able to sustain repeat tourism through natural, low-key visitor attractions and it would be a tragic shame to see the Manrique legacy and biosphere status fall over the sake of corrupt property development.