The President points out that equipment for sports like golf and skiing usually receive special dispensation on flights, but the Iberia policy on diving gear means it is charged as excess if it goes over 20 kgs. The charges could have a damaging effect on El Hierro tourism, if no concessions are made.

El Hierro has built up a strong reputation for it’s preservation of fish, and has even produced an unlikely national hero in Pancho, the grouper fish, the star of the marine reserve. Pancho weighs in at 40 kgs and is 40 years old, and underwater photographers just can’t get enough of him. The fish is so revered that most restaurants on the island refuse to have grouper fish on their menu as a mark of respect.

The project was announced in 1997, and plans are well advanced to complete the infrastructure needed to make the dream a reality. It includes a wind park, to harness the power of the wind on this exposed eastern island, and a large desalination plants on the coast to clean water for direct use and to feed a giant hydro electric plant.

The hydro electric station is the centrepiece of the plan and will produce power from a water filled valley that presses down on the turbines. This water will then be recycled, pumped back up into the resevoir to perform it’s function again and again.

The 10,000 people who live in El Hierro will embrace eco friendly living as part of their daily lives, in everything from sustainable agriculture to hydrogen powered buses on the internal transport system. The cost of the project is being shared between the El Hierro government and the Canary Island government, with a big input from power company Endesa. This is a showcase project and one that other islands will look to follow. There are 100 other islands in the world that have already made official enquiries about taking on the challenge themselves, and there are plenty more that could follow. In the European Union alone, 17 million people live on islands and that rises to 700 million across the world.

The landscape of El Hierro, and it’s size, makes it a perfect testing ground for this scheme but what has really made it all come together is the political will and commitment of the island inhabitants to push the project forward and the vision to see the rewards that lay at the end of it. 

The Guinea museum lies at the bottom of El Golfo, a giant natural amphitheatre, formed 50,000 years ago when a volcanic eruption sent 300 cubic kames of land sliding into the sea. The tsunami it caused would have impacted around the world and has fuelled a scientific debate over a possible repeat from the neighbouring island of La Palma.

Later Bimbaches, the ancient island natives, built a settlement here, above and below ground, and it has been preserved to show how they lived, complete with rudimentary tools for cooking and working. The small stone and rough thatch settlements above land cover long volcanic tubes below, called Jualclos, where many of the Bimbache lived before taking to the surface. This is the base of the museum, which is about a ten minute drive from the town of Frontera.

The giant lizards (galliota simonyi) were a much later arrival, they are one of the five most endangered species in the world and were thought to be extinct in the Canary Islands until a shepherd discovered one in 1974. They were then carefully and slowly re-introduced into a breeding centre. The lizards live for up to 30 years and grow to 70 cms long, and have distinctive yellow spots.

Storms and new life

Nature had another surprise in store when heavy storms hit the island in 2007 and a landslide from the mountain above, damaged the museum and the breeding centre killing half of the 1,700 lizards that had been released to live on the mountain slopes. More dedication since then has seen several new batches of eggs laid and young lizards hatched to start building a new colony.

The museum and breeding centre are now a popular stop for school parties and holiday visitors, who can have a guided tour of the village and learn more about the trusts work. It’s just one of many projects proudly developed by the El Hierro government and more information can be found at www.el-meridiano.com

Of necessity, these islands have constantly had to develop new ways of working with nature, from water management and delivery to ensuring that fishing stocks are rationed to support the traditional industries of the islands. Lots of exciting work is going on with Biosphere Reserves, Wind Parks, Animal Preservation Projects and much more.

Nature can be very fragile, this is something that the Canary Islands have learned from past experience with volcanic eruptions, something that can happen at any time on any of the islands. Many old traditions and ways of life are under threat, but with encouragement and strong government policies there is still time to protect the past and learn for the future.

This site will bring you the latest trends and updates on what steps are being made to put the Canary Islands at the forefront of green planning. Your comments are welcome and if there is anything you need to know more about, we will try to shine a light on it.