Lanzarote, Biosphere Reserve

Lanzarote was the second Biosphere Reserve in the Canary Islands, and it had a completely new component: for the first time the entire territory was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, including all its towns and villages. The perfect symbiosis that Lanzarote has achieved between man and nature is, without doubt, the main reason for this international recognition.

Lanzarote brings innovative aspects to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The highlight is the integration of artistic creation in the territory, as an element that strengthens the island’s culture, also generating added value as a resource for tourism.

This also offers aesthetic enhancements, bringing with them the improvements in income generation associated with the restoration of degraded spaces: cultural values, physical limits and environmental conditions are all reflected in the agricultural landscapes.

The island possesses excellent environmental qualities and is home to emblematic ecosystems as well as highly protected enclaves.

What is a Biosphere Reserve?

Biosphere Reserves comprise terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems, and the programme’s importance, both for conservation and for the development of practical knowledge and human values that can contribute to human scale sustainable development, has been recognised through the Man and Biosphere programme (MAB).

The objective of a Biosphere Reserve can be summarised as preserving and generating natural and cultural values through management that is scientifically appropriate, respectful of society, creative at a cultural level, and operationally sustainable. Biosphere Reserves are designed to secure the future, albeit built from their own history.

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