Monitoreo de la Diocalandra frumenti en Fuerteventura y Plan de Control y Erradicación
Blas Acosta: “We want the Government of the Canary Islands to get involved in Fuerteventura with a Control and Eradication Plan similar to the one carried out in Lanzarote with 4 million euros”
The Cabildo, through ‘Fuerteventura, beautiful by nature’, installs pheromone traps to certify the magnitude of the presence of this harmful insect and for «Ecological Transition to take it seriously, because our palm trees are in danger»
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura, through the Works and Machinery service and its program ‘Fuerteventura, beautiful by nature’, has installed pheromone traps in Madre del Agua to monitor the magnitude of the presence of Diocalandra frumenti in its palm groves. This is a pilot experience to combat the invasive insect in this emblematic natural space and throughout the island. In other islands, such as Lanzarote, its presence has prompted the Government of the Canary Islands to get involved with a Control and Eradication Plan of 4 million euros.
“Fuerteventura, beautiful by nature is an ambitious program that seeks to conserve and rehabilitate the Island. In this case, emphasizing the preservation of palm trees with a pilot test in a natural sanctuary like Madre del Agua, whose results will be extrapolated to the entire insular territory,” says the president of the Cabildo Lola García. “Actions that are necessary for the preservation of palm trees and that must have the involvement of all administrations in order to conserve local biodiversity.”
Blas Acosta, Councilor of Infrastructure, demands regional support and commitment. “We want the Government of the Canary Islands to get involved in Fuerteventura with a Control and Eradication Plan similar to the one carried out in Lanzarote with 4 million euros; the Ecological Transition councilor must take Fuerteventura seriously, because our palm trees are in danger.”
The pilot action is taking place in Madre del Agua, in the municipal terms of Pájara and Betancuria. The area is part of the Rural Park of Betancuria and is included in the Special Conservation Area (ZEC) and Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA). The Cabildo and the Government of the Canary Islands are aware of the presence of Diocalandra frumenti in the island’s palm trees for years, as is the case in the rest of the islands.
Through this monitoring, carried out through its own medium of Territorial and Environmental Management and Planning (Gesplan), the Cabildo seeks to have specific data on the palm groves of Madre del Agua due to their special significance as an ecosystem, as a natural sanctuary, and as an image of the island. “We hope that with this scientific data, we can convince the Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands to implement a Control and Eradication Plan similar to the one already being carried out on the neighboring island,” explains Blas Acosta.
The pilot experience
Today, pheromone traps of the Palm Rocket Tramp type reinforced with registered pheromones have been installed. For their installation, telescopic poles and forest ladders have been used, specifically avoiding ‘trepolines’ to minimize damage to the palm trees.
The traps are intended to detect and control the presence of Diocalandra frumenti to protect the palm trees in the area and conserve local biodiversity, thus ensuring environmental balance in the natural enclave of Madre del Agua.
At the beginning of summer, the number of insects caught in each trap installed in the palm trees included in the pilot experience will be recorded, allowing for an objective evaluation of the state of the palm grove in line with the Law 4/2017 on Soil and Protected Natural Areas of the Canary Islands and the regulations on invasive species.
This action is part of ‘Fuerteventura, beautiful by nature’, a powerful program of small local works commissioned by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura to its own medium Gesplan.
The commission to Gesplan carried out by the department led by Blas Acosta includes actions over a period of 15 months, between 2024 and 2025. During both years, four million euros will be invested in around a hundred «local actions» that directly impact the conservation of the natural environment, the positive perception of visitors, and the quality of life of residents.
