N/A

1.         Undertake further research on the ecology and genetics of endangered and vulnerable species of the National Park’s fauna and flora so as to assist in their conservation in a rapidly changing climate.

Research into the effects of climate change on the high mountain scrub habitat has continued, linking herbivory and global warming and its consequences for high mountain vegetation. It has been found that several species typical of the pine forest are penetrating the national park, proof that the surrounding community of conifers is occupying part of the habitat of the retama del Teide or white broom (Spartocytisus supranubius). At the same time, a seventy-year computer simulation of temperature changes in the island’s highlands has revealed that temperatures are rising twice as fast on the western side of the national park as on the eastern side.

In addition, the inventory of thousand-year-old Juniperus cedrus trees has continued; to date, four have been located clinging to the cliff faces. One has been found to be the oldest chronologically dated tree in Europe, at 1,481 years old. An attempt is currently being made to reconstruct the hydroclimate of several centuries ago from the growth rings.

Thanks to funding from the National Parks Autonomous Body, a project has been completed to determine the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on the edaphic microfauna of mountain systems in National Parks, which culminated in the defence of a master’s thesis by Miguel Iglesias at the University of Alcalá.

Regarding herbivore pressure, a thesis on the impact of these mammals on high mountain vegetation has been read at the University of La Laguna, defended by Dr Jonay Cubas.

Martín-Esquivel, J. L.., Marrero-Gómez, M. V., & Mancebo, J. M. G. (2021). Efectos del cambio climático en la vegetación de la alta montaña de Tenerife (Effects of climate change on the high mountain vegetation of Tenerife). Ecosistemas, 30 (1), 2189-2189.

Iglesias Esteban, M. (2020). Efecto del Nitrógeno y el Fósforo en la microfauna edáfica de sistemas de montaña en Parques Nacionales (Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on soil microfauna in mountain systems in National Parks). Tesis de máster, Universidad de Alcalá y Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. 45 pp

2.         Establish (and annually update) a register of all non-native species which occur within the National Park, and either continue, enhance or commence control measures so as to ensure that these non-native species who became invasive have a minimal effect on the park’s native flora and fauna.

An IT platform is being designed to update the chorological data on the distribution of the flora in the national park, as a complement to the biodiversity inventories, and with special attention to species such as rosalillo de cumbre (Pterocephalus lasiospermus) which, although native, is becoming invasive. At the same time, the flora of the summit of El Pico is being analysed, in view of the increase in altitude at which they grow due to climate change, especially of some non-native species such as Sagina procumbens.

3.         Prepare and implement an action plan for beekeeping within the National Park which aims to reduce the impact of honey bees on both the native flora and the native species of pollinators; and undertake research on the guild of native pollinators to determine its species composition and the conservation status (endemic to the Canary Islands, endemic to Tenerife, native, and whether endangered or vulnerable) of the component species.

A project developed by the University of La Laguna on the impact of beehives on the flowering of retama del Teide has been completed, and work is being carried out within the framework of the future Master Plan for Use and Management on a range of measures to limit the number of beehives in accordance with the findings of scientific studies, and to promote yearly set-aside in different sectors.

4.         Maintain and expand (as appropriate) the targeted programmes of monitoring the climate and both the biological and geological resources of the National Park.

Climate monitoring programmes are progressing along the lines of developing computer programmes to assess the degree of warming with maximum precision (50 m) over the entire area of the national park. Thanks to these programmes, it has already been possible to simulate the evolution of temperatures in recent years (findings published in Martín-Esquivel et al., 2021).

5.         Actions in the Management Plan for the National Park (PRUG) which have either not been undertaken or have not been completed should be identified and included within the new PRUG.

Administrative formalities have begun for the new Master Plan for Use and Management, which is expected to be approved in 2022. It includes the actions that were recommended in the appraisal for the renewal of the European Diploma.

6.         Ensure that the new PRUG both contains appropriate management indicators and targets and supports the European Diploma for Protected Areas; management must inform the Council of Europe when the new PRUG has been completed and formally adopted by the Canary Islands Government.

The new Master Plan for Use and Management includes a set of indicators on conservation, public use, etc., in accordance with the recommendations received.

7.         Demolish all building (and other non-natural structures) within the National Park which are no longer in use; and restore these areas and their surrounds to as natural a condition as is possible.

Once the legal and technical expropriation proceedings for the four buildings that make up the houses of El Sanatorio (the sanatorium) were completed at the end of 2020 and the necessary agreements were reached between the administration and the former owners of the buildings, final approval was granted for the project for the “Demolition of the houses of El Sanatorio and restoration of the area” on 4 June 2021, and work was ordered to begin on 22 November 2021.

Following preliminary planning, work began with the manual removal of elements that could be recovered, such as roof tiles and joinery elements, followed by the dismantling, decontamination and removal of the fibre cement sheets used for the roofs and other structural elements of the four buildings, with demolition using heavy machinery planned only for the last part of the work.

All the works are expected to be completed in the first half of 2022 with landscape restoration of the affected areas and their immediate surroundings, which also includes removal of the tracks leading to the houses. This will be another important milestone in the management of this area, which will meet one of the objectives of the Master Plan for Use and Management, which identified the houses in the El Sanatorio area as a group of buildings that were incompatible with the purpose of the Teide National Park and that had to be eliminated.

The demolition of the houses in El Sanatorio, together with the demolition last year of the public works hut and mountaineers lodge, will mean that the objective set out in this recommendation will be 100% achieved.

8.         Prepare and begin to implement guidelines for public use and mobility within the National Park within one year of the new PRUG being adopted.

Work continues on the project to “develop a mobility system and set up service areas at the access points to the Teide National Park”.

In this respect, the following should be noted:

a) A legal report was drawn up to study the feasibility and advisability of implementing a network of service areas in the national park, to be integrated into the future sustainable mobility system under a Project of Island Interest, in accordance with the provisions of Article 123 of Law 4/2017, of 13 July, on Land and Protected Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands.

b) A report was drawn up on the feasibility of providing the Teide National Park with its own vehicle towing service, with a view to the future implementation and operation of the sustainable mobility system of the National Park.

c) Detailed planning of the Chío and Vilaflor service areas has been undertaken, and work has begun on the basic projects for each of these areas, with presentations of the preliminary drafts to each of the relevant town councils. All of the above is contained in the Project of Island Interest for the establishment of a network of service areas in the Teide National Park, which is expected to be completed for the process of approval to begin by the end of this year.

d) A timetable has been drawn up for proceeding with the Project of Island Interest for the implementation of a network of service areas for the Teide National Park, with the aim of final approval in the last quarter of 2022.

e) The cost of implementation and of obtaining the land for each of the service areas has been estimated.

f) On 16 November 2020, at an ordinary plenary meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Teide National Park took note of the preliminary public consultation document on the initiative for the establishment of a network of service areas in the Teide National Park. This was published in the Official Provincial Gazette (BOP) on 19 February 2021.

There have been no modifications to regulations at state or regional level that directly and significantly affect the national park, beyond resolutions and notices on specific, one-off procedures and activities (mouflon control campaign, rabbit control campaign...).

Day-to-day management of the Teide National Park has been delegated to the Tenerife Island Council (Environment and Safety Department).

No changes in the staff of the national park, which comprise 10 permanent employees and 16 contract workers. In addition to these figures there are 52 public-sector workers and, in summer, during the firefighting campaign (3 months), another 36 public-sector workers, who support the work, tasks and services being carried out.

The budget allocated to Teide National Park for 2020 was as follows:

- Chapter 1, Staff: € 1,169,491.61

- Chapter 2, Current expenditure: € 2,848,800.25

- Chapter 6, Investments: € 2,129,283.10

No change.

The situation in the national park was defined, at least from March 2020 onwards, by the COVID-19 pandemic. After four consecutive years of record visitor numbers, the number of visitors in 2020 was less than half that of 2019, falling from 4,443,628 to 2,167,877.

This is the lowest annual value in the historical series; such a low figure has not been seen since at least before 1996, when the traffic counters were installed.

There is a new publication, “Ciencia en el Parque Nacional del Teide 2009 – 2019” ("Science in the Teide National Park 2009 - 2019", being its coordinators / editors Manuel Durbán Villalonga & José Luis Martín Esquivel.