Botanic Experience

Native plants, the great forgotten ones

Incredible as it may seem, our apparently deserted island holds many botanical treasures. We are not talking about the crop and garden plants, introduced from all over the world, but about the indigenous plants, the ones that have always been here. Today, due to human activity over the centuries and more recently due to climate change, they are in many cases close to extinction. Of the approximately 750 plant species recorded for Fuerteventura, half are native to the island. Of these, 15 are endemic to the island, that means, they are not found anywhere else in the world. With the exception of only one, all of them are in danger of extinction.

The need for firewood and to create fields for cultivation, as well as the high number of livestock that the island had for centuries, have led to an enormous destruction of the vegetation. Of the forests mentioned in the chronicles of the conquest of Fuerteventura in the 15th century, there are barely a few remains.

In the native plant reserve we have recreated the most important vegetation types on 6 hectares, with more than 80 unique species. The reserve plays an important role in the conservation of such rare plants as the Fuerteventura sea-kale, of which only a few hundred exist, the spike-thorn of the eastern Canaries, with less than 20 specimens known in the wild, or the canary marmolan or ironwood, of which there is only one wild individual in Fuerteventura, which already has 5 descendants in the reserve. In addition, the reserve has large freshwater ponds surrounded by riparian vegetation to provide protection for the birds.

Our specialist botanist will tell you all about the exciting work we do in the reserve and our future plans in collaboration with international conservation organizations and other botanic gardens along the educational trail.