Natural Areas of the Canary Islands. Flowers of the Canary Islands.

Natural Areas

Parque Natural de las Nieves

    The Canary Islands have a Network of Protected Natural Areas comprising 146 natural sites recognised for their ecological, geological, scenic or scientific value. Together, these areas account for 40% of the total surface area of the Canary Islands, and the network was established with the aim of contributing to human well-being and the maintenance of the biosphere through nature conservation, and the protection of the aesthetic and cultural values present in these natural areas.
    This network of nature conservation areas is divided into different categories, based on scientific, social and administrative criteria. These categories are: National Parks, Natural Parks, Rural Parks, Strict Nature Reserves, Special Nature Reserves, Natural Monuments, Protected Landscapes, and Sites of Scientific Interest.
    National Parks and Nature Parks are the best-preserved areas, where human presence is minimal. In these parks, public access and the promotion of human contact with nature are, in themselves, the very purpose of conservation. Rural Parks are areas where natural environments coexist with those transformed by human activity, but where human presence is regarded as a further, vital component of the ecosystem that must be preserved.
    Integral Nature Reserves are the most restrictive category, as almost all uses are prohibited within them, whilst Special Nature Reserves permit scientific and educational uses, and, in exceptional cases, traditional activities. Sites of Scientific Interest are specific areas protected for the conservation of a particular biological resource. Finally, Protected Landscapes and Natural Monuments are large areas in the former case and of moderate size in the latter, whose protection is primarily aesthetic, due to the importance of the scenic or emblematic values they contain.