The process to update the management plans of the 24 Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) of the Canary Islands continues with participatory workshops on the different islands. In May, we attended to the worskhop celebrated in La Palma, organized by the Biodiversity Fundation, that covered specifically the SACs of the Marine Area of Fuencaliente, and the Garafia Coastal Area. Both of these areas were the subject of study of this groups with the MARMAC Project a few years ago. On July, it was the turn for the SACs in Gran Canaria.
The Life IP Intemares project aims to achieve a network of marine spaces of the Natura 2000 Network managed in an effective and integrated way, with the active participation of the sectors involved and research as basic tools for the taking of decisions.
Thus, from the Research Group on Technologies, Management and Environmental Biogeochemistry we participate by providing our relevant knowledge about the sources of pollution both coastal and marine, indicators and recommendations for a good follow-up and some experiences in planning uses in protected spaces.
In particular, the SACs of the Costa de Sardina del Norte, Bahía del Confital, La Isleta, Playa del Cabrón, and Bahía de Gando were addressed, being the main impacts identified and with a greater degree of agreement related to the need for protection of species such as the angelshark, recently declared as endangered, and emphasizing the need to incorporate restrictions on navigation that minimize collision impacts on cetacean populations. Another not minor issue that was discussed at the workshop was the need to control and regulate, with more specific criteria, the different discharges that occur to the sea, both from land (effluents of treatment plants and desalination plants) and from the ships.