After Vallebron, Vallegrande Begins Rehabilitation

Both interventions arise at the proposal of the Tourism Department and are supported by the Next Generation EU Funds

The “Fuerte by Nature” program, led by the Island Council’s Tourism Department, has almost completely finished the sustainable rehabilitation project of the Protected Natural Landscape of Valle Grande. This is the second major milestone of the program, following the successful intervention in Valle Bron—both located in the municipality of La Oliva and financed with Next Generation EU funds.

“Both actions are part of the Island Corporation’s work line to protect our territory and our landscape. They aim to restore the original state of the agricultural landscape and the traditional farming systems such as the gavias, elements that are part of Fuerteventura’s identity and are essential for water management,” said Lola García, President of the Fuerteventura Island Council.

“The ‘Fuerte by Nature’ program has allowed us to recover two landscapes of great interest in our strategy to attract a new type of tourist who wants to discover the genuine side of the destination, thereby revitalising local economies, especially those linked to the rural sector,” explained Marlene Figueroa, Councilor for Tourism.

Figueroa added that, beyond the tourism aspect of the interventions in Valle Grande and Valle Bron, “these landscapes define our island and are part of our identity heritage. They are an emblem of Fuerteventura and of the way Majoreros live, projecting a distinct character and feeling to visitors.”

Project Highlights

• Area improved: more than 261,000 m² of landscape.
• Clearing work: over 78,000 m² of land cleared and cleaned.
• Stone‑wall restoration: approximately 2,000 linear metres of dry‑stone walls rebuilt using traditional techniques.
• Gavias (traditional water‑catching structures): restored across 32,000 m².

The meticulous work carried out by the Island Council’s Territorial Planning and Environmental Management unit (Gesplan) has been crucial in reviving these historic stone walls and gavias, which are integral to the emblematic landscape of Valle Grande.

The Valle Grande project now enters its final phase, having recovered virtually the entire intended landscape. The preceding Valle Bron rehabilitation, also part of the “Fuerte by Nature” Sustainable Tourism Destination Plan and funded by Next Generation EU, contributed to the broader goal of transforming Fuerteventura’s tourism offering by optimizing and integrating all tourism resources, leveraging new technologies, and ensuring the island’s social, environmental, and economic sustainability.

In both cases, the primary objective is to preserve and enhance the natural environment through traditional landscape restoration techniques—focused on stone‑wall rehabilitation and the revival of traditional agricultural systems like the gavias. These interventions not only safeguard natural heritage but also restore conditions that promote water retention and maintain local biodiversity.