Fuerteventura and Anaga’s Protected Areas Unite as Sister Biosphere Reserves

Tradition and sustainability mark the twinning between the Biosphere Reserves of Fuerteventura and Anaga, which strengthen ties through the apanadas, a millennial tradition recognized as a Cultural Heritage Asset on the island of Fuerteventura.

The Biosphere Reserves of Anaga and Fuerteventura celebrated on Saturday, 6 September, a twinning ceremony centered on the tradition of the apanadas, recently declared a Cultural Heritage Asset. The event gathered livestock and visitors at the Gambuesa del Llano del Sombrero in Betancuria and opened a programme that continues on Sunday with an ornithological route in Pájara.

Attendees were able to see first‑hand the origin and development of the apanadas, a practice that organizes the gathering of livestock under the coordination of the appointed commissioner. The day included the arrival of animals at the Gambuesa, where they were identified and distributed. The twinning, celebrated in Fuerteventura, highlighted the importance of keeping cultural links alive between territories that share UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserve designation.

The Sunday Program: After the tarabilla in Tesjuate and a Visit to Verde Aurora

The Anaga Biofest continues on Sunday with the bird‑watching route “In Search of the Canary Warbler in the Ríos Cabras Ravine,” departing at 8:15 a.m. from Tesjuate (Pájara). This educational trek will showcase the island’s biodiversity through observation of endemic birds, with special focus on the Canary Warbler. The itinerary will conclude at the Verde Aurora Bio Farm Ornithological Reserve, a site dedicated to nature conservation, organic agriculture, and the preservation of Majorcan traditions.

Biofest: “The Core of Tourism Policy”

“Anaga Biofest has its own stamp and practices sustainability, the central pillar of our tourism policy,” said Jéssica de León, Councillor for Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands.

“Living these kinds of experiences lets us recognize the great cultural, ethnographic, and natural value of this land,” concluded Javier Tejera, director of the Anaga Biofest, in a statement issued by the event’s organization.

Anaga Biofest is organized by Ecotourism Ideas Regenerative, with sponsorship from the Canary Islands Government’s Tourism and Employment Department (led by Jéssica de León) through Tourism of the Canary Islands; the Cabildo of Tenerife through Tourism of Tenerife; the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, and Tegueste; and the CajaCanarias Foundation.