Hundreds of people are visiting the exhibition area at the Fuerteventura Agricultural, Livestock, and Fisheries Fair, thanks to the Fuerteventura Biosphere Reserve, experiencing firsthand the richness of the marine fauna and vegetation in the waters surrounding the archipelagos of the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe—partners in this scientific initiative under the INTERREG MAC 2021-2030 Program
The INTERREG MAC 2021–2030 project “ECOMARIS: Blue Economy and Promotion of Coastal and Marine Sustainability on Islands”, an international initiative coordinated by Ricardo Haroun Tabraue, director of the ECOAQUA University Institute of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), is participating with a large booth, thanks to the Fuerteventura Biosphere Reserve, at the Fuerteventura Agricultural, Livestock, and Fisheries Fair (FEAGA), held from April 16 to 19 at the Pozo Negro Experimental Farm on the island of Fuerteventura. Various visual panels were displayed at the stand, highlighting the project’s main objectives and the partners involved.
This event, which attracted hundreds of visitors over the course of four days, was organized as part of the communication plan for a project involving all the island regions included in the cooperation area of the INTERREG MAC 2021–2030 Program: the Canary Islands (Spain), the Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Overview of the booth set up at FEAGA.
Visitors to the booth showed great interest in the various species of fish found in Macaronesia, the wide variety of cetaceans in the Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira archipelagos, as well as the specific characteristics of the marine ecosystems of islands as far from the Canary Islands as São Tomé and Príncipe in Central Africa.
In addition to the informational panels, visitors were able to enjoy a preview of the ECOMARIS 2026 Seabed Exhibition, which featured realistic models of fish and a sea turtle, allowing the various people who stopped by the booth to observe these species in detail.
A close-up view of the models of various marine species on display at the booth.
But without a doubt, the star of the show was a pair of augmented reality 3D glasses that allowed some 400 people to experience a virtual dive in the waters off Fuerteventura, getting a firsthand look at the depths of the Jandía area, as well as the rich fauna and vegetation found on the island’s seabed.
One of the visitors to the booth tries out the 3D augmented reality glasses.
The ECOMARIS booth also welcomed the president of the Fuerteventura Island Council, Dolores Alicia García Martínez, and the island’s councilor for Tourism, Blue Economy, and the Biosphere Reserve, Marlene Figueroa, who during their visit praised the booth’s presentation for effectively conveying to the public, in an engaging and entertaining way, knowledge of the ocean, its various ecosystems, and the marine wealth of the archipelagos that form part of this ambitious project.
One of the children who visited the booth virtually dives into the island’s depths.
Led by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) through the ECOAQUA University Institute, the project’s main objective is to address the strategic needs for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the participating island territories, promoting the management of the coastal and marine environment with an ecosystem-based approach.
Among the specific objectives of this scientific initiative are the application of advanced technologies to increase the quantity and quality of spatial data on the coastal and marine environment; the development of decision-support systems; and, in particular, the promotion of Ocean Culture, aligned with the United Nations Decade of the Ocean, whose motto is ‘The science we need for the ocean we want’.
Participating Organizations
The 11 partners participating in the project, representing each of the regions, are:
From the Canary Islands, Spain: the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, through ECOAQUA; the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, through the Department of Tourism, Blue Economy, and Biosphere Reserve; elittoral Estudios de ingeniería costera y oceanográfica SLNE; and Tecnofly Canarias, S.L.
From the Azores, Portugal, the partners are the Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries: Regional Directorate for Fisheries; and the Regional Directorate for Maritime Policies.
From Madeira, Portugal, the participants are the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment; ARDITI - Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology, and Innovation; and the University of Madeira.
Finally, the third-country partners in the consortium are: from Cape Verde, the NGO BIOSFERA 1 – Associação para a Defesa do Meio Ambiente; and from São Tomé and Príncipe, the Associação Amigos da Reserva da Biosfera da Ilha do Príncipe (AARBIP).