Helicóptero H125 apoya trabajos de vallado en Pico de la Zarza transportando 17.000 kilos de material

The Environmental Project will last five months and is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura is advancing in the protection of the highest point of Fuerteventura and its ecosystem. Over the next three days, an H125 helicopter will lift 17,000 kilos of material to the summit to complete the new fence around Pico de la Zarza. It will take 90 rotations of the helicopter to bring up everything needed to this hard-to-reach enclave for the Cabildo workers to complete the project.

The Department of Environment began at the beginning of the month the demolition and removal of the old fence around Pico de la Zarza, which was no longer able to preserve the biodiversity of the area. Today, the material is being stockpiled at the summit. This is a project of great importance not only for its purpose but also for the involvement of the European Union through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, which provides 85 percent of the funding.

For the president of the Cabildo, Lola García, “it is important to move forward with this initiative for the improvement and conditioning of the fence in this natural enclave, with the aim of protecting the exclusive plant species of the island”.

Carlos Rodríguez, Councilor for Environment and Hunting, emphasizes the complex logistics required for this project. “To guarantee the good health of our ecosystems, the Cabildo relies on the global and combined effort of its resources, whether by land, sea, or air,” he states, and adds, “we believe in these beneficial interventions for natural ecosystems, as the quality of life in Fuerteventura also depends on their good health”.

The project ‘Improvement and conditioning of the fence at Pico de la Zarza for the conservation of threatened native flora, T.M. of Pájara’ of the Cabildo has been contracted to the public company TRAGSA for a budget of almost 259,000 euros and a execution period of five months.

Currently, the work is focused on removing the remains of the old deteriorated fence from the summit and transporting the materials for the new construction. Given its remote location, the project relies on a helicopter for the movement of materials. It is an Airbus H125 with an effective carrying capacity of 900 kilos, which over the next three days will transport around 17,000 kilos in 90 trips.

Protecting the ecosystem of the highest peak

The area affected by this project at Pico de la Zarza is established from 750 meters above sea level, in the Jandía massif, between the Vinamar and Butihondo ravines.

Pico de la Zarza is the highest point on the island of Fuerteventura, at 814.59 meters, and is located within the protected natural area of Jandía. In this natural space, this area is of great importance, being one of the richest ecosystems on the island where a large number of Canary endemics and various species exclusive to the island of Fuerteventura are found.

This space was delimited by a galvanized steel wire fence supported by galvanized steel tubes, which has been broken by the action of the elements and uncivilized individuals.

Access to the interior space should be through a metal gate (ripped out), and once inside, it continues along a path also delimited by the fence until reaching the edge of the cliff. The function of this fence is to prevent the entry of wild animals and hikers that could cause damage to the protected and conserved flora found in this location.