Canary Islands declared a Place of Hope, marine areas

Better protection for important marine areas.

During the World Climate Conference in Madrid, the waters between Tenerife and La Gomera were proclaimed as a so-called place of hope. The WDC and the Dolphin Conservation Organisation hope that this will have a positive effect on efforts to effectively protect the waters around the islands.

Mission Blue, the organisation founded in 2009 by world-renowned marine biologist Sylvia Earle, has officially declared the region a place of hope. The Hope Spots concept serves to make particularly important marine areas better known and better protected.

Around 30 of the approximately 90 known species of whales and dolphins have been seen around the Canary Islands, making the Canary Islands one of the best regions for whale and dolphin watching in the world. However, this extraordinary biodiversity is under threat: plastic waste, the densely built-up coastline and subsequent water pollution and collisions between fast ferries and whales make life difficult for the animals. Climate change with rising sea temperatures has already reached the Canary Islands.

“There are only a few places on earth where you can observe so many types of dolphins and whales. It is a great natural treasure that needs to be preserved. It would be ideal to protect the entire archipelago,” says Fabian Ritter, marine biologist at WDC and co-founder of the Berlin association MEER (“Meer” (German) = “Sea”), which has been researching biodiversity off La Gomera for more than 20 years.

Currently, only eight percent of Spanish waters are designated as marine protected areas, and the number is expected to soon increase to twelve percent. There are already numerous small areas in Canarian waters, but WDC, Mission Blue and MEER hope that effective protection measures will be taken in Canarian waters as part of the designation as a place of hope. This includes, for example, a speed limit for ships to avoid collisions with whales or strict regulation of whale watching tourism.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has announced that 30% of the world’s oceans must be designated as protected areas by 2030. The WDC welcomes this goal and calls for rapid implementation. “It is very important that effective measures are implemented and the influence of people is minimised. The Ministry of Environment of the Canary Islands and Spain have recently taken steps in the right direction. We hope that the designation as a Hope Spot will continue to support these efforts,” Ritter continued.