The III Conference on Biodiversity and Sustainability in the Canary Islands This ambitious initiative, promoted by the University of La Laguna with the support of the San Cristóbal de La Laguna City Council and the Tenerife Island Council, was inaugurated yesterday, Thursday, April 4th, in the Central Building. It offers a month of educational activities aimed at raising awareness about the threats facing the environment and how people can contribute to mitigating them. The program combines highly interactive exhibitions, lectures, and school workshops, and is expected to draw more than 800 secondary and vocational students.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice-Rectors for Culture and University Extension, Isabel León Pérez; and for Sustainability and Infrastructure, Candela Díaz García; the La Laguna City Councillors for Promotion and Local Development, Environment, Health, Mobility and Transport, Domingo Galván Delgado; and for Education, Youth and Consumer Information Office, Sergio Eiroa Santana; and the Director of the Chair of Environment and Sustainable Development Cabildo de Tenerife – University of La Laguna, Norena Martín Dorta.
Isabel León pointed out that these conferences stem from the university's mission to address social issues such as the preservation of a territory like the Canary Islands, "rich but fragmented, fragile, and with threatened biodiversity." Faced with these dangers, reflection is the only way to change the course of the current situation, which is not very promising. To find hope regarding the ecological challenges, the vice-rector embraced the arguments for optimism that primatologist Jane Goodall offered during her 2023 visit to the University of La Laguna: the power of knowledge, the contribution of youth, and the "indomitable human spirit" so that heart and mind can work together.
Vice-Rector Candela Díaz expressed herself in similar terms, thanking all the people who made these days possible, not only the sponsoring entities, but also the organizing committee, a diverse group that brings together faculty, students and administrative and service staff to launch a program of activities that appeals to a wide variety of audiences.
Student Sara González
Councilman Domingo Galván thanked the academic institution for inviting the municipal corporation to collaborate on this event, as it serves to reaffirm its commitment to sustainability. He recalled that, just the day before, he had attended the Island Open Days of the Canary Islands Eco-Canteens Program 2024, hosted by the Higher Polytechnic School of Engineering at the University of La Laguna, which focused on locally sourced food. He also indicated that his institution hopes to make an important announcement soon regarding substantial improvements to sustainable urban transport.
Finally, Norena Martín, who directs an institutional chair at the university supported by the Tenerife Island Council, valued the important support that the island corporation provides to her entity, which has helped to finance several of the activities that will take place throughout this month in a conference that, after three successful editions, has already become a fixture in the university program.
Sara González, a student in the Design Degree program, also participated in the presentation. She was responsible for the graphic design of the event as part of her Final Degree Project. Later, another student from the same program, Claudia Pereira, presented her exhibition design for one of the activities that was also part of her Final Degree Project.
Exhibitions
During yesterday afternoon, the three exhibitions that are part of the program of activities were also inaugurated, curated by researchers in various areas, which are complemented by a didactic program designed for the Secondary students who visit the conference, and which will be assisted by students from the Faculty of Education.
The first of the exhibitions, “Microplastics: a macro-environmental problem of micro size,” which occupies the Espacio Cultural la Capilla, summarizes the activity carried out over three years by the research project. IMPLAMAC, The project, which has studied the impact of this waste on 46 beaches throughout Macaronesia, was presented by Javier Hernández Borges, director of the project. The presentation was led by another of the researchers involved, Cintia Hernández, who expressed her hope that the audience would not like what was shown, as it reflects a serious ecological problem.
The second exhibition is “Sentinels of the Flowers: Discovering the Pollinators of the Canary Islands,” curated by entomologist Carlos Ruiz Carreira and installed in the Pablo González Vera Paraninfo Art Gallery. It presents the insects responsible for pollinating local plants, thus contributing to the conservation and expansion of the flora. These insects are far more numerous than bees: ants, wasps, butterflies, and beetles, among others. The exhibition is divided into four parts: the history of pollinators in the Canary Islands; the diversity of this group; the threats they face, such as habitat loss, invasive species, pesticides, and climate change; and solutions to these dangers, which can be summarized in the concept of restoring ecosystems.
The third exhibition, in the lobby of the Central Building, serves to publicize the activity of the project. ULL Campus The exhibition, which focuses on community composting at the academic institution, was presented by its coordinator, Carlos Jiménez, a professor in the Department of Fine Arts. Through panels, the exhibition explains the process, highlighting how 9,800 kilos of waste were collected at the university in 2023 for composting. This waste will not contribute to the tons of garbage that the island must manage. The exhibition also includes a series of aphorisms and poetic objects that add an artistic dimension to the composting process.
Open classroom
Photo: David Hernández.
The program of activities continued today, Friday, April 5, with the inauguration of the newly installed Open Classroom in the Canary Garden of the Central Campus. This space, whose construction involved both the Vice-Rectorate for Sustainability and Infrastructure and the university administration, has already received its first school visit: over one hundred students from Los Salesianos School and San Matías High School, who were welcomed by Vice-Rector Candela Díaz.
The 3rd Canary Islands Biodiversity and Sustainability Conference represents the culmination of almost a year's effort. As Borja Arizón, from the Parks and Gardens Service, one of the members of its organizing committee, explains, the working meetings began last May. Other members of the committee include Beatriz Martín, a technician from the Vice-Rectorate for Culture and Extension; Sara González, a lecturer in the Department of Specific Didactics; and Victoria Eugenia Martín, a professor of Botany and director of the [unspecified institution/organization]. Wolfredo Wildpret Botanical Garden Chair; Pablo Vázquez Gil, director of Cultural Classroom of Gardening, Biodiversity and Permaculture; Cristina González Montelongo, professor at the Faculty of Biology; and Aray Ramos Moreno, student of the Degree in Environmental Sciences.
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