Radio Sintonia:

Corralejo, a living dune park.

The Natural Park of Corralejo is one of the many landscapes of the island of Fuerteventura that are presented to man as a natural spectacle.



A natural area under threat
The area, declared a Natural Park by Law 12/1987, of June 19, on the Declaration of Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands (classification that was maintained with Law 12/1994, of December 19, on Natural Spaces of the Canary Islands) is currently more threatened with extinction than any other of the protected natural spaces of the Canary Islands. There are three elements on which the above assertion is based:

a) To the north, the urban growth of the nucleus of Corralejo hinders the circulation of the winds and the natural access of the sand from the sea to feed the dunes of Corralejo.

b) Two large hotels, built in the seventies, constitute a visual obstacle in the surrounding natural landscape, as well as being a brake on the passage of sand.

c) In the West, urban development continues with projects for the construction of a ring road, a golf course and several housing estates.

These three elements act negatively against one of the main values of the area: the landscape.
The dunes of Corralejo represent one of the few living dune fields in the Canary Islands, and the only one on the island of Fuerteventura in which the dunes reach a great development. They make up a space whose natural values are fundamentally defined by geomorphological processes: The geological interactions between volcanism and wind dynamics are a notable example here.

The origin of the sand that makes up the dunes of Corralejo is exclusively marine. The sand is contributed by the sea from a current heading north that also finds on the island of Lobos an obstacle that partially diverts it to the southwest, giving full in the area that today occupies the population of Corralejo.

Two points have been identified through which the sand that constitutes the current jable entered: the coves located today in the urban area of Corralejo and the stretch of coast between Punta de Tivas and Playa de los Matos. From these points the sand circulates in a southerly direction until, when it reaches the vicinity of Montaña Roja, it meets the malpaís of the Montaña de los Apartaderos, at whose level the barrier effect of these obstacles directs the sand towards the Southeast, disappearing again into the sea in an area where 500 meters deep are reached, Very close to the majorera coast.

Source: Commission for Territorial Planning and Environment of the Canary Islands

Radio Sintonia:

Conditioning and cleaning of the road linking the Santa Inés Valley and Aguas Verdes.

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura, at the request of the City Council of Betancuria, has started today the work of conditioning and cleaning the margins of the FV-320 road, which connects the Santa Inés Valley with Aguas Verdes.





This action, which is being carried out through the public company Gesplan, in addition to the cleaning of weeds and the conditioning of the margins of the road, is prioritizing safety through the installation of fencing and adequate signaling, as well as the replacement of worn or damaged signaling discs. These improvements aim to provide optimal conditions of use and safety to drivers and pedestrians who travel on this road in the municipality of Betancuria.

The initiative is part of the Insular Plan for Cooperation in Works and Services of municipal competence (PICOS), which seeks to improve the infrastructure, safety and aesthetics of the six municipalities of the island.

The PICOS, which covers the years 2023 and 2024, includes a total of 56 actions throughout the island. The planned interventions include paving public roads, improving sewerage networks, sanitation and purification, as well as improving access to population centers, public lighting, as well as other infrastructure and municipal equipment.

A question if anyone can answer it.
I was in a bar last evening and on the outside terrace, one of the local parties were holding a meeting, after which they handed out vouchers for a free drink to everyone that was registered to vote, surely this is tantamount to bribery? or am I overreacting?

Not sure if this is allowed but here goes.
We have just spent five nights on Gran Canaria and I have to say, I'm glad I live on Fuerte.
You either have tortuous driving in the mountains, which I don't really mind, or the madness of the motorways, which are as bad as the UK (if not worse).
I don't know if the crossings on the ferry are ever smooth but we encountered rough journeys in both directions. There were a lot of sick passengers on the way back. Fortunately Jill and I were OK (surprisingly).
Not a journey I would want to repeat too many times, but we would like to return to see the west of the island.

Does anyone know if I can access Endeasa on-line to pay bills?   If so how can I set it up?
This is all from the UK.  A link would be really useful, thanks

Noticias:

Sebadales meadows in the Canary Islands in danger.

The seagrass beds in the Canary Islands are in serious decline


Spanish researchers have mapped and economically assessed the stocks of blue carbon and CO2 sequestered by the sebadales of the Canary Islands. The results suggest that their stocks are declining and that, if the current trend is followed, the cost in future damages is estimated at 126 million euros, according to the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment.



Sebadal is the name given in the Canary Islands to the underwater meadows formed by the plant species Cymodocea nodosa, a key element to mitigate climate change. In the last 20 years, approximately 50% of these sebadales have been lost, although, despite the dramatic decline, 11% of the total carbon stored by this species in Spain is in the Canary Islands.



These meadows have great ecological and economic relevance for the archipelago due to the various services they offer, such as CO2 sequestration, water purification and support for marine biodiversity. In addition, they are the habitat of commercial fish species of great gastronomic interest in the Canary Islands such as "la vieja", whose survival and breeding depend on these marine plants.



The work, published in the scientific journal Science of the Total Environment, demonstrates the decline of the Canarian sebadales and their capacity for carbon storage and climate regulation, in addition to estimating the economic impacts that their disappearance could cause.



The study demonstrates the decline of the Canarian sebadales and their carbon storage capacity and climate regulation



If current trends continue, losses could reach 126 million euros in future damages (0.32% of the current GDP of the Canary Islands) in 2050 due to a possible emission of 1.43 megatons of CO2, which are currently contained in these meadows and that "would be equivalent to what 572,000 cars emit in a year, 32% of the Canarian car fleet", explains Miriam Montero, from the Rey Juan Carlos University, the institution that leads the study together with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, explains the magazine specialized in scientific dissemination agenciasinc.es.



On the contrary, if the extension of the sebadales remains stable, 0.75 megatons could be sequestered in the coming years until 2050, which would mean a saving of 73 million euros in future damages.



If the extension of the sebadales remains stable, 0.75 megatons of CO2 could be sequestered in the coming years until 2050



Blue carbon maps



"This study identifies the areas and environmental pressures on which it is necessary to act, and studies future management scenarios, giving a scientific and economic reason for the conservation of seagrasses," says Montero.



The creation of a "cartography" of blue carbon stored by Cymodocea nodosa is novel, since at present blue carbon maps are scarce and usually focused on other species of "seagrasses", such as those of the genus Posidonia, or in those shallow intertidal seagrasses, which are those that are less than 10 meters from the surface.





However, Cymodocea nodosa in the Canary Islands is an opportunistic grassland with deeper waters, so it has been studied less. This work opens the doors to a barely explored area, evaluating the CO2 storage of Cymodocea nodosa using real local data from the entire Canary archipelago, as well as high spatial resolution distribution maps of these seagrass beds.



"Our methodology generates scientific evidence to value the ecosystem created by Cymodocea nodosa and to be able to take it into account in decision-making and management," concludes the scientist.



This study is part of the efforts being carried out from Spain as part of the European project MOVE-ON Project for the mapping and assessment of ecosystem services in outermost regions and overseas territories of the EU.

link to article for pic

Noticias:

Fuerteventura airport will have to be reconfigured due to climate change.

The Canary archipelago is one of the areas that can suffer the most in the battle against climate change if measures are not taken urgently, at least that is what emerges from the Plan to Promote the Environment Adapts Coasts, which already warns that the flooding processes derived from the rise in sea level will affect 147 sandy areas, being the eastern and central islands the most affected. The first eliminated already has a name and surname: the beach of Alcalá, in Guía de Isora, Tenerife.



The Plan's report warns that the results of this study are devastating: "rising sea levels and temperatures, desertification, tropicalization and increased adverse Weather Events and associated respiratory and cardiovascular diseases."



Reconfiguration of Airports in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura



It is estimated that 10 per cent of the islands' resident population will have to be relocated to the interior, while major disruptions to public infrastructure are anticipated. The concern is total. Several ports and airports such as Lanzarote or Fuerteventura will have to be reconfigured.



Desalination plants and thermal power plants will have to be dismantled and several sections of highways and roads will be compromised. And large agricultural and industrial areas will also be affected. "The Canary Islands are going to be the trailer of what can happen to the planet if we do not win this fight." This is expressed by José Antonio Valbuena, counselor of Ecological Transition of the regional government, who demands more autonomy for the islands in energy matters in order to make immediate decisions, advances the newspaper El Confidencial.



The PSOE has included in its electoral program for 28-M the approval of an ecotax in the islands. The Socialists had already been in favor this legislature of the approval of the tax, as long as tourism recovered the pre-pandemic figures. And now, that threshold has been passed, they have included the measure.





The counselor Valvuena assures the newspaper El Confidencial that "we need that, in collaboration with the State, we take the reins in planning, development and energy programming", He complains of the scarce agility in certain regulatory changes and resolutions that the archipelago needs to overcome the effects of the climate emergency.



He gives as an example the delay in the approval of a tender to replace obsolete and polluting thermal power plants. "Also the lack of momentum to a large renewable energy storage pile in Tenerife, essential to advance in decarbonization, and calls for greater diligence in the procedures to implement the offshore wind already designed," he explains.



Blow to the economy



The blow to the economy, mainly due to the damage to tourism, is of enormous depth and an estimated loss of 11% of the GDP of the Canary Islands. An impact that joins the one that health will receive, since chronic diseases associated with climate change will increase, especially due to the increase in haze episodes. Which will also be more intense.



Fisheries will be seriously harmed



A new report developed by the Group on Earth and Atmospheric Observations (GOTA), predicts a rise in average temperatures in a range between one and three degrees, an increase in the number of tropical nights and a longer duration of extreme heat episodes.



Annual rainfall will decrease by around 30%, increasing the risk of desertification and large forest fires. And the so-called green islands – with the exception of La Palma – will undergo substantial changes with a loss of vegetation that will lead to more arid landscapes.



Fishing, agriculture, livestock, flora, fauna and the marine environment complete the equation of a very complicated horizon. Several scientific studies raise the effects in two temporal milestones: the horizon of the year 2050 and the end of the century. This is the first X-ray of this magnitude carried out in Spain. "We have made this diagnosis because our weaknesses are far superior to other territories," explains Valbuena. The findings of these projections cover all areas.



The importance of decarbonisation and the use of renewables



In the midst of this diagnosis, the Canary Islands have done their homework with the recent approval of their climate change law. With this text, at least within the framework of its competences, it aims to avoid fulfilling the forecasts with the inclusion of the necessary tools to be able to achieve the decarbonization of the islands in 2040, 10 years less than those set by Europe and Spain.



The regional plan establishes specific measures and obligations that concern public administrations and the private sector in order to reduce emissions by 90% and reach 92% of the final energy consumed through renewables in that border of 2040.



The archipelago has the natural conditions to achieve it thanks to the hours of sun and wind and the available technology, Valbuena insists on the need to accelerate the steps to avoid catastrophe. This progress is focused, above all, on a regulatory framework of its own, which the islands currently lack.

Noticias:

Fuerteventura at the tail end of clean energy production.

While in the whole of the state renewables produce more than 62% of the demand, in the Canary Islands it barely reaches 20% and Fuerteventura is not expected.

Source: Energías renovables.com


The national electricity system operator, Red Eléctrica de España, has just published its report for the month of April. And two facts stand out greatly. One: the demand for electricity has fallen in Spain this past month by almost 10% (specifically, in gross terms, it has remained at 17,678 gigawatt hours).



And two: renewable energy production has reached 10,967 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 62.03% of that demand. Moreover, in mainland Spain, demand has fallen to 16,548 GWh (-10.3% compared to April 22), while renewable generation has risen to 10,778 GWh (+0.2%), equivalent to 65.1% of that demand.



The other relevant data that Red Eléctrica de España has just published in its latest monthly balance, corresponding to the month of April of this year, is that referred to renewable energy production.



The indigenous sources of electricity (wind, sun, water, biomass) have produced this April 52.1% of the electricity that has been generated in national territory. According to REE, Spain has produced in April up to 21,034 gigawatt hours (+0.3% compared to April 22), has demanded the aforementioned 17,678 (-9.7%) and has exported the rest.



Among all the sources of electricity – gas, uranium, coal, wind, water, biomass, etc. – solar energy has been the one that has grown the most: "solar photovoltaic scores 38% more than in the same month of 2022". Specifically, PV generation reached 3,563 gigawatt hours in April, "a maximum monthly generation that exceeds by 5.4% the last one registered in July 2022". Its share in the mix was 16.9%.



Wind is the main source for producing clean energy



The main source of electricity this past month has been in any case wind, which continues to lead the national mix (with 4,728 gigawatt hours) for the sixth consecutive month, and ahead, again, of nuclear, which has remained at 4,573 GWh.



After wind and uranium, the third source of electricity in Spain on April 23 has been the Sun, which has also exceeded, as we anticipated last Tuesday, the 4,000 gigawatt hours: 3,563 has been contributed by photovoltaic, 634 by solar thermal. Far from the podium (which would therefore occupy wind, nuclear and solar) would be, on the one hand, the combined cycle plants that burn gas to generate electricity (which have generated less than 3,000 gigabytes per hour this April) and, on the other, hydropower and cogeneration (both with less than 2,000). Hydraulics, by the way, have generated 4.6% less than in April 2022.



At the peninsular level and once the effects of working hours and temperatures have been taken into account, demand has been 8.2% lower than in April 2022. In gross terms, demand was 16,548 GWh, 10.2% less than in the same month last year.



In the first four months of the year (January, February, March and April cumulative), the peninsular demand was 75,732 GWh, 4.5% lower than that registered in 2022. After taking into account the effects of working hours and temperatures, demand fell by 4.4%.



Generation: the set of peninsular renewables generated 53.9% of the total generated in April, according to the provisional data available today, which show a production of 10,778 GWh, 0.2% more than in the same month of the previous year.



Demand: if what we look at is demand, in mainland Spain this has fallen to 16,548 GWh (-10.2% compared to April 22, as said), while renewable energy production has risen (+0.2%) to 10,778 GWh, equivalent to 65.1% of that demand.



The electricity system in the Balearic and Canary Islands



In the Balearic Islands, the demand for electricity in April was 2.8% lower than that of the same month of 2022, once the effects of the Calendar and temperatures are taken into account. Thus, gross demand is estimated at 411,126 megawatt hours (MWh), 5.8% lower than in April of the previous year. In the first four months of 2023, the gross demand of the Balearic Islands is estimated at 1,705,251 MWh, 2% less than in the same period of 2022.



In terms of generation, the combined cycle, with 69.1% of the energy produced in the Balearic Islands, was the first source of the islands this month. For its part, renewable energy without equivalent CO2 emissions generated in the Balearic community was 63.4% higher than in April 2022 and represented 16% of the total, with solar photovoltaic being the main source of renewable origin and second in the Balearic generation mix, with 12.5% of the total. In addition, the submarine link between the Peninsula and Mallorca contributed during this month to cover 23.8% of the Balearic electricity demand.



For its part, in the Canary Islands, the demand for electricity grew in April by 2.7% compared to the same month of 2022, taking into account the effects of labor and meteorology. In gross terms, demand was 690,373 MWh, up 2.5%. In the first four months of 2023, the Canarian demand is estimated at 2,769,860 MWh, 0.8% more than in the same period of 2022.



As for electricity generation in the Canary Islands, combined cycle, with 42.2% of the total, was also the first source in April. Renewables and emission-free technologies generated 20.1% of production this month, with wind energy being the second technology in the mix, with 15.5%.

Radio Sintonia:

About two tons of marine litter are collected on the coasts of Fuerteventura in recent months.

The Cabildo de Fuerteventura, through the staff of the Employment Plan 'Mima su Isla', reports that it has collected in the first months of the year about two tons of marine litter from the coasts and beaches of the island.



The action of cleaning and collection of waste was carried out in the north and south of the island of Majorera, with special emphasis on the areas with the greatest arrival of marine litter, as well as the most remote and most difficult to collect points.

Of the discharges registered on the majoreras coasts, the participants explain that almost 75% of them corresponded to waste of plastic origin, specifically single-use, "such as food and cosmetic containers next to caps, caps and drink bottles".

In the same way, of the total waste seized, "the percentage of metal residues found near the beaches, such as vehicle parts, mattress bases, hammocks and even appliances" stand out, according to the participants.

At this point, from the area of environmental sustainability of the Cabildo, the importance of using the appropriate waste managers for each of the aforementioned wastes is promoted, such as the clean points for the collection of household appliances.

The project, organized by the Cabildo de Fuerteventura in collaboration with the Canary Islands Employment Service, seeks to improve the working and training conditions of the participants, while aiming to restore environmental damage through different actions.

In this sense, the collection of marine waste in points of special vulnerability on the island, has been developed according to the methodology set by the Spanish Marine Strategies of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, in order to find the possible sources of origin of the waste and carry out a work and reflection on the possibilities of minimizing the impact.

Radio Sintonia:

Mercadona will hire about 300 people for the summer campaign in the Canary Islands.

Mercadona, a company of physical supermarkets and online sales, plans to hire about 300 people for the summer campaign of 2023 during the month of May and until the end of September in the Canary Islands. Specifically, 200 jobs will be offered in the province of Las Palmas and 80 in Sta. Cruz de Tenerife. The objective is to reinforce its staff during this period to guarantee the excellence of the service in the 86 stores in the area and in the logistics blocks of Ingenio and Granadilla, a time that coincides with the arrival of tourists and the vacations of the rest of the staff.

Mercadona informs that job offers are available in its Employment Portal, where the conditions of the position are described, such as the initial remuneration of 1,507 euros per month gross, or that no previous experience is required, since all receive specific training adapted to each position. Likewise, the company explains that the new additions will become part of a team characterized by teamwork, with a vocation for customer service and capacity for constant improvement.