Cabildo Begins Sustainable Restoration of Agua de Bueyes' Traditional Landscape
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura has today begun an ambitious intervention on a traditional landscape that is especially emblematic for the island – the gavías (stone-lined irrigation channels) and dry‑stone walls that stretch across Agua de Bueyes. The action is part of the “Fuerteventura, Beautiful by Nature” programme and is being carried out in coordination with the Municipality of Antigua.
Lola García, President of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, explained that the initiative “fits within the island corporation’s line of work to protect our territory and our landscape, with actions aimed at restoring the original state of our agricultural landscape in different areas of Fuerteventura, as well as traditional agrarian systems that form part of the Majorero identity.”
Blas Acosta, Councillor for Works and Machinery, added: “Our landscapes are more than nature; they speak of tradition, of centuries of learning to obtain sustenance without exhausting resources, of a water culture. Our landscapes tell the story of everything that today defines our Majorero idiosyncrasy.”
The tidying and sustainable rehabilitation works in this traditional landscape of the municipality of Antigua – similar to the project carried out months earlier in Tiscamanita, Tuineje – involve several specialised crews that restore dry‑stone walls and clear and rehabilitate the gavías for cultivation.
“Initiatives like this root the population in the rural environment and help livestock and agricultural activity continue, which generates local economy and preserves traditional uses and customs,” the councillor noted.
Project Scope
The Adecentamiento y Rehabilitación Sostenible del Paisaje de Agua de Bueyes (Tidying and Sustainable Rehabilitation of the Agua de Bueyes Landscape) addresses:
- Restoration of the gavías.
- Repair of the dry‑stone masonry walls that line the gavías.
- Rehabilitation of stone‑dry chains on slopes.
Rehabilitation procedures:
- In the cultivated area of the gavías, interior vegetation will be cleared and the ground levelled using mechanical earth‑moving equipment, moving soil from the interior of the plot to the outside to reinforce the earthen dam (transtón).
- The dry‑stone walls of the gavías will be rebuilt manually using stone sourced from the site.
- Deteriorated stone‑dry chains on slopes will also be repaired manually with locally sourced stone.
The “Fuerteventura, Beautiful by Nature” mandate, overseen by the Cabildo’s Gestión y Planeamiento Territorial y Medioambiental (Gesplan) department, foresees a 15‑month implementation period spanning 2024‑2025. Over both years, €4 million of the Cabildo’s own funds will be invested in roughly one hundred “proximity actions” that directly impact natural‑environment conservation, visitor perception, and residents’ quality of life.
More Than Just a Landscape
Fuerteventura lacks a vegetative cover that would slow runoff, and many areas traditionally used for cultivation have been abandoned. Consequently, preserving the benefits provided by the traditional gavía and chain systems is crucial for maintaining soil fertility.
Key advantages of the gavía‑chain system:
- Low energy consumption and reliance on soft technologies.
- Effective combat against desertification in arid environments.
- Prevention of soil loss and enhancement of water infiltration.
- Reduction of both hydraulic and wind erosion risks.
- Control of soil salinity.
- Creation of ecological reserves for endangered species.
- Provision of a unique tourist value through the traditional agricultural landscape.
These benefits underline the cultural, environmental, and economic importance of safeguarding the Agua de Bueyes landscape for present and future generations.