This initiative, led by researchers from ECOAQUA's BIOCON group, presents its final results at the ULPGC after months of sampling, surveys, workshops and meetings between the scientific team and citizen participation, estimating that these reserves should be extended to the territorial limits that delimit the Spanish exclusive economic zone around the archipelago.
This cooperation has made it possible to produce maps that identify, on the one hand, areas that are critical and important for marine biodiversity and, on the other, areas subject to human pressures such as pollution from waste, maritime traffic, tourism and overfishing, which in Gran Canaria means that more than 90% of the species of greatest fishing interest are overexploited or have very low biomass, while in the Fuerteventura-Lanzarote-La Graciosa island system, the figure is around 70%.
The study highlights that the Canary Islands have exceptional marine biodiversity, with 10,028 catalogued species, surpassing even the famous Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, which are home to less than a third of that number. However, the archipelago does not enjoy the same international recognition, despite its key role as a biodiversity hotspot in the North Atlantic.
The AMPLÍA project, launched by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) through the Biodiversity and Conservation Group (BIOCON) of the ECOAQUA University Institute, presented its final results this afternoon at the ULPGC Faculty of Marine Sciences, proposing the expansion of the three marine biosphere reserves on the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote-La Graciosa to the territorial limits that delimit the Spanish exclusive economic zone around the Canary Islands archipelago. These results are the fruit of months of scientific work, sampling in the areas involved, surveys, workshops and meetings between the research team and different sectors of the public, whose participation has been absolutely essential.
The AMPLÍA project, financed with Next Generation funds from the European Union in the call for grants to finance actions in Biosphere Reserves within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, in a public call for competitive bidding by the Regional Ministry of Ecological Transition, Combating Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands, estimates that this spatial increase to the maximum possible is based on the inclusion of populations of cetaceans and oceanic fish species at risk of extinction, especially sharks, under the umbrella of biosphere reserve protection, as well as on encouraging more effective regulation, through other planning and management measures, of fisheries for oceanic species carried out by semi-industrial fleets outside the archipelago.
A symbolic but important step
This expansion to the limits, says José Juan Castro, project director, Doctor of Marine Sciences and researcher at the BIOCON Group of ECOAQUA, as well as director of the Biology Department at the ULPGC, "is nothing more than a symbolic but important step for two main reasons.
Firstly, he states, ‘because it is committed to a regional conservation strategy, rather than an insular one — as has been the case until now — with regard to the ocean and the ocean biodiversity surrounding the islands’; and secondly, ‘because it represents a commitment by the archipelago to ensure that the strategic value of the entire marine area of the Canary Islands, as a central and essential element in the conservation of marine biodiversity in the North Atlantic, is recognised as a unique national and European element within the framework of the Pact for the Oceans promoted by the European Commission’.
The director of the AMPLÍA Project and researcher with the BIOCON group at ECOAQUA, José Juan Castro, introduced some of the key findings to those attending the presentation at the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the ULPGC.
The initiative entitled “Diagnosis of the state of marine resources in the Eastern Canary Islands with a view to expanding the marine area of their Biosphere Reserves”, known by the acronym AMPLÍA, which has also presented these results in recent days in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, has analysed the state of the marine ecosystems of the eastern islands of the archipelago in order to assess the advisability of expanding or reorganising the marine areas included in the Biosphere Reserves.
This initiative seeks to ensure sustainable management and recovery of biological resources in an area with one of the largest protected marine areas in Spain—more than 2.8 million hectares—although the results show that this protection does not always translate into good environmental status.
Researchers note that most fish species are overexploited and many coastal ecosystems show clear signs of degradation. In addition, a notable loss in fishing productivity has been detected, underscoring the need to redefine conservation strategies and promote more effective management of marine areas.
Pressure from marine activities
Fishing pressure on shoals, seamounts and ocean straits remains intense. In Gran Canaria, more than 90% of the species of greatest fishing interest are overexploited or have very low biomass; in the Fuerteventura-Lanzarote-La Graciosa island system, the figure is around 70%.
‘In reality, the entire exclusive economic zone around the islands is subject to intense fishing pressure from semi-industrial fleets dedicated to fishing for tuna and related species, but also sharks, fleets that for the most part do not have a home port in the Canary Islands,’ says José Juan Castro.
Image of one of the moments during the presentation of the final results of the AMPLÍA Project in Gran Canaria.
‘An important factor, in addition to fishing,’ he adds, "and one that is probably also affecting the state of ecosystems and species—particularly in the most coastal areas—is anthropogenic disturbance, such as wastewater discharges from different sources, of different types and degrees of treatment, noise generated by maritime traffic, underwater tourism and the presence of ports and similar infrastructure, which can cause changes in the nature of the substrate or local marine dynamics."
Scientific review, new maps and citizen participation
To this end, AMPLÍA has compiled and updated an extensive biological, ecological and socio-economic database, combining scientific knowledge with the collaboration of fishermen, divers, environmental organisations, citizens, companies, public administrations and scientists, including reserve managers.
This cooperation has made it possible to produce maps that identify, on the one hand, areas that are critical and important for marine biodiversity and, on the other, areas subject to human pressures such as pollution from waste, maritime traffic, tourism and overfishing. These maps are a reference for future studies and a key tool for implementing more surgical management and conservation strategies.
Image of underwater sampling by the ECOAQUA BIOCON research team, which has been part of the AMPLÍA project.
With all this information, the project team, after discussions with the technicians responsible for the biosphere reserves of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote-La Graciosa, has prepared proposals for the expansion and spatial reorganisation of the biosphere reserves on each island.
Another image of underwater sampling by the ECOAQUA BIOCON research team, which has been part of the AMPLÍA project.
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Members of the project's research team take samples on the coast.
Members of the project's research team take samples on the coast of La Santa, Lanzarote.
These proposals not only significantly expand the area covered by the reserves to include ocean areas of biological interest—strategic both for biodiversity conservation and for key sectors such as artisanal fishing, such as areas of concentration of fish and invertebrate larvae formed by quasi-permanent cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies originating south of the islands —but also expand the areas considered core due to their high biological importance (breeding areas for sensitive or endangered species, presence of highly vulnerable habitats or species, etc.). Core areas are those that, due to their biological relevance, must be equipped with instruments that allow for strict protection and more precisely regulate the activities that can be carried out in them and their impacts.
Group photo of BIOCON members who have worked on the AMPLÍA project alongside some of those attending the presentation in Fuerteventura.
Although Biosphere Reserves do not have direct regulatory powers to regulate activities, their reorganisation serves as a wake-up call to administrations and allows conservation to be prioritised in future public policies.
Despite existing protection, studies reveal that important marine enclaves remain outside any conservation framework, including points where ocean currents and eddies converge, acting as veritable ‘natural nurseries’ for fish and invertebrates. Coastal areas where endangered species reproduce, such as angel fish and mantelinas, have also been identified, many of which coincide with tourist areas. The challenge, the researchers point out, is to reconcile tourism and fishing with conservation.
The Canary Islands, a little-recognised biological treasure
The study highlights that the Canary Islands have exceptional marine biodiversity, with more than 10,000 species catalogued, surpassing even the famous Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, which are home to less than a third of that number. However, the archipelago does not enjoy the same international recognition, despite its key role as a biodiversity hotspot in the North Atlantic and its direct ecological connection to the African coast.
The head of AMPLÍA, José Juan Castro, Doctor of Marine Sciences and Director of the Biology Department at the ULPGC, during the presentation in Lanzarote.
During the sampling, the scientific team observed a high abundance of macroalgae and benthic communities on the rocky coasts and the presence of seagrass beds—underwater meadows essential for fish breeding—mainly on the eastern and southern slopes.
In conclusion, the AMPLÍA project highlights that the Canary Islands should not be seen solely as a tourist destination, but as a territory of global biological value. Its marine heritage, comparable or superior to that of iconic regions, requires management based on scientific knowledge, citizen participation and institutional commitment. Only in this way can the balance between development and conservation that defines the true sustainability of the islands be maintained.