Identification of Degraded Land in the Canary Islands; Tests and Reviews

Degraded Land is an area that either by natural causes (fires, floods, storms or volcanic eruptions) or more by direct or indirect causes of human action, has been altered or modified from its natural state. Restoration is an activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem. It can be defined as the set of actions taken in order to reverse or reduce the damage caused in the territory. In the case of the Canary Islands there is a high possibility for the territory to suffer processes that degrade the environment, given that the islands are very fragile ecosystems. Added to this they are territories isolated from the continent, which complicates the process of restoring them. In this paper, the different types of common degraded areas in the Canary Islands are identified, as well as the proposed solutions for remediation, such as afforestation of agricultural land or landfill closure and restoration.

Challenges for future of Natural Spaces of Canary Islands, Spain

The preservation of biodiversity is a fundamental objective of a ll policies related to a more sustainable development in any modern society. The rain forest and pine forests are two unique Canarian ecosystems with high importance to global biodiversity, holding a large number of endemic species and subspecies that is a priority to preserve. In this work the challenges that will face the natural areas of the Canary Islands are studied, as well as their fundamental value for economic and environmental development of the islands.

Extralimital Senegalese species during Marine Isotope Stages 5.5 and 11 in the Canary Islands (29° N): Sea surface temperature estimates

The presence of Harpa doris Röding, 1798 in marine deposits of the last interglacial period, ~130-120 ka (marine isotope stage or MIS 5.5) in the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) enabled us to compare this occurrence with its present habitat in the Gulf of Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands, well to the south. This comparison leads to the conclusion that sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the waters around the Canary Islands during the last interglacial period were at least 3.3 °C higher than today. H. doris is found in association with the large gastropod Persististrombus latus (Gmelin, 1791) as well as the coral Siderastrea radians (Pallas, 1766). The presence of these extralimital southern,warm-water species in the Canary Islands during the last interglacial period also implies a northward expansion of plankton-feeding larvae in seawater with a high chlorophyll-a content. Such conditionswould require a shortening of the southern arm of the cool Canary Current that dominates the waters around the Canary Islands at present. Marine deposits dating to ~400 ka (MIS 11) are also found on the Canary Islands. In these deposits, the presence of Saccostrea cucullata (Born, 1778) allows a comparison with its present habitat in the Gulf of Guinea. In this analysis, we conclude that SSTs in waters around the Canary Islands during this major interglacial period were at least 4.2 °C higher than today. Middle Pleistocene fossils of S. cucullata have also been found in the western Mediterranean Sea and Morocco, as well as the Cape Verde Islands. If these deposits also date to MIS 11, SST warming could have been a regional phenomenon, including much of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Mio-Pliocene crustaceans from the Canary Islands, Spain

There are few previous references to fossil crustaceans for the Neogene marine layers of the Canary Islands (Spain). The Mio-Pliocene marine sedimentary layers in the eastern islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) were previously characterised by the presence of numerous fossil fauna, mainly anthozoans and molluscs, which correspond to an equatorial-typepalaeoclimate, warmer than the present climate. This Mio-Pliocene transition dated between 9.3 and 4.1 Ma. In this paper, 12 fossil crustacean taxa are identified and classified, including decapods and barnacles: Balanus concavus Bronn, 1831, Balanus spongicola Brown, 1827, Balanus perforatus Bruguière, 1789, Chenolobia testudinaria Linnè, 1767, Tetraclita cf. rubescens Darwin, 1854, Callianassa matsoni Rathbun, 1935, Callianassa sp., Upogebia sp, Eriphia aff. verrucosa (Forskal, 1775) , Maja sp., Scylla michelini Milne-Edwards, 1861 and Ocypode sp. Some of these taxa mean new references for the Atlantic islands and the North African Atlantic and definitely enlarge the palaeographic distribution of Neogene crustaceans beyond the Mediterranean region, extending it to the North Atlantic. Particularly significant are the presence of Tetraclita cf. rubescens ,this being the first reported fossil occurrence of this barnacle outside the North America Pacific coasts, and Chenolobia testudinaria , indicating for the first time the existence of marine turtles in these islands during the Neogene. These results are coherent with previous research hypothesising the existence of a flow of surface water between the Pacific and Atlantic in the Mio-Pliocene transition (Central American Seaway, CAS) which explains the arrival of organisms, in larval stage, from Central America to the Canary Islands

Holocene fossil woods from the Caldera de Taburiente National Park (Canary Islands, Spain)

The study of 39 Pinus canariensis Holocene fossil woods from the Caldera de Taburiente is presented

Flood Hazard Analysis in the ”Caldera de Taburiente” National Park (La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain) using Dendrogeomorphology

Aplicación de técnicas dendroecológicas para el estudio de avenidas torrenciales.

Canary Islands, Spain, 1653 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Les Isles Canariespar P. Du Val d'Abbeville, Geographe Ordinaire du Roy. It was published by chez Pierre Mariette, rue S. Jacque a l'Esperance, avec privilege in 1653. Scale [ca. 1:1,050,000]. Covers the Canary Islands, Spain. Map in French.The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the World Mercator projected coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, villages and other human settlements, shoreline features, anchorage points, and more. Relief shown pictorially. Includes also notes.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Isla de Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain, 1779 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Mapa de la isla de Fuerteventura, por Don Tomás Lopez, geografo de los dominios de S. M. de las Reales academias de la historia, de San Fernando, de la de buenas letras de Sevilla y de la Sociedad Bascongada de los amigos del pais. It was published by se hallará este con todas las obras del autor en la Calle de las Carretas entrando por la Plazuela del Angel in 1779. Scale [ca. 1:280,000]. Covers Isla de Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. Map in Spanish.The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the World Mercator projected coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, villages and other human settlements, roads, shoreline features, ports and anchorage points, and more. Relief shown by hachures. Includes note on the mapping of Fuerteventura.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Isla de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, 1780 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Isla de la Gran Canaria, por Don Tomás Lopez, geografo de los dominios de S. M., de las Reales academias de la historia, de San Fernando, de la de buenas letras de Sevilla y de la Sociedad Bascongada de los amigos del pais. It was published by se hallará este con todas las obras del autor en la Calle de las Carretas entrando por la Plazuela del Angel in 1780. Scale [ca. 1:280,000]. Covers Isla de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. Map in Spanish.The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the World Mercator projected coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, land cover, cities and towns, villages and other human settlements, towers, hospitals, parishes, shoreline features, ports and anchorage points, and more. Relief shown by hachures. Includes note on the mapping of Isla de Gran Canaria.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Isla de Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, 1779 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Mapa de la isla de Lanzarote, por Don Tomás Lopez, geografo de los dominios de S. M., de las Reales academias de la historia, de San Fernando, de la de buenas letras de Sevilla y de la Sociedad Bascongada de los amigos del pais. It was published by se hallará este con todas las obras del autor en la Calle de las Carretas entrando por la Plazuela del Angel in 1779. Scale [ca. 1:280,000]. Covers Isla de Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. Map in Spanish.The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the World Mercator projected coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, land cover, villages and other human settlements, roads, shoreline features, ports and anchorage points, and more. Relief shown by hachures. Includes note on the mapping of Lanzarote and inset map: Mapa de la isla de del Hierro.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

Isla de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 1779 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Mapa de la isla de Tenerife, por Don Tomás Lopez, geografo de los dominios de S. M., de las Reales academias de la historia, de San Fernando, de la de buenas letras de Sevilla y de la Sociedad Bascongada de los amigos del pais. It was published by se hallará este con todas las obras del autor en la Calle de las Carretas entrando por la Plazuela del Angel in 1779. Scale [ca. 1:280,000]. Covers Isla de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Map in Spanish.The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the World Mercator projected coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, land cover, cities and towns, villages and other human settlements, fortification and watch towers, roads, shoreline features, ports and anchorage points, and more. Relief shown by hachures. Includes note on the mapping of Tenerife.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.