Political erosion dismantles the conservation network existing in the Canary Islands

opinion Politicalerosiondismantlestheconservationnetworkexisting intheCanaryIslands JoséMaríaFernández‐PalaciosandLeadeNascimento IslandEcologyandBiogeographyGroup,InstitutoUniversitariodeEnfermedadesTropicalesySalud PúblicadeCanarias(IUETSPC),UniversidaddeLaLaguna(ULL),Avda.AstrofísicoFranciscoSánchezs/n, 38206,LaLaguna,(Tenerife),Spain e‐mail:[email protected];http://webpages.ull.es/users/jmferpal ISSN1948‐6596 opinion and perspectives RecentlytheCanarianParliamenthasapproveda newversionoftheCanariancatalogueofpro‐ tectedspecies(seeBox1)thatreducessubstan‐ tiallyboththenumberofspeciesincluded(from 466speciesinthe2001listto361speciesinthe 2010list)andtheprotectionafforded(from381 threatenedspeciesto160,andfrom85protected speciesto18).Thesereductionshavebeenwidely criticizedbyenvironmentalNGOsandthelocal scientificcommunity1,mainlyduetotheabsence ofarigorousscientificprocessinitsdevelopment. Althoughcertainlythefirstversionofthecata‐ loguecouldbeimproved,themainreasonsbe‐ hindthenewrevisionswerenotconservationis‐ suesbutratherstrictlypolitical.Thereasonsmay include,forinstance,thedevelopmentoflarge infrastructures,suchasindustrialharboursand golfcourses,whichuntiltherevisionswereforbid‐ denduetotheirimpactsonprotectedspeciesin‐ cludedintheoriginalversionoftheCanariancata‐ logue. Changesintheenvironmentallegislationof theCanaryIslandsentailaseriousthreattothe natureofthisregionofbiogeographicalinterest (Francisco‐Ortegaet al.,2000;Juanet al.,2000; Fernández‐Palacios&Whittaker,2008).Thus,we believeitisimportanttoshareourappraisalof thecurrentsituationwiththeinternationalscien‐ tificcommunity. Withinthenewrevisedcatalogueacom‐ pletelynewcriterionforprotectionhasemerged “especiesdeinterésparalosecosistemascanar‐ ios”(literally:“speciesofinterestforCanarianeco‐ systems”),comprising152species(seeBox1).The phraseispoorlychosen.Itissupposedtoapply onlytoendangeredspecies,consequentlythefre‐ quentandabundantspecieswhichusuallystruc‐ tureanddominatetheecosystemsareexplicitly notlisted,leadingtoacuriousparadox:theCa‐ narianpine(Pinuscanariensis)isnotaspeciesof interestfortheCanarianpineforest,the MacaronesianLaurel(Laurusnovocanariensis)is Abstract.TheoutstandingnatureoftheCanaryIslandshasbeenrecognizedbyEuropean,nationaland regionaladministrationssincethearrivalofdemocracyinSpain.Forty‐fivepercentofitsemergedterri‐ toryhasbeendeclaredasNaturalProtectedAreas,fourCanarianNationalParkswereincludedwithinthe Spanishnetwork,morethan200endemicswerelistedintheSpanishcatalogueofendangeredspecies, and450specieswerelistedintheCanariancatalogueofprotectedspecies.However,inrecentyears,po‐ liticaldecisionshavestarteddismantlingthissplendidconservationnetwork,whichimpedesconstruction oflargeinfrastructure,golfcoursesandresorts,despitetheadviceofthescientificcommunity.Canarian natureisnowfacingtwothreats:delistinganddowngradingofnumerousendangeredspecies,andtrans‐ ferofthemanagementofCanarianNationalParkstotheregionaladministration. Keywords:Biodiversityloss,endangeredspecies,NationalParks,naturalprotectedareas,politicalcorrup‐ tion,scientificcommunity,speciesdelisting 1.Seedifferentreactionsathttp://www.nodescatalogacion.com,http://www.wwf.es,http://www.greenpeace.org, http://www.atan.org,http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org,http://especiesamenazadascanarias.blogspot.com, http://ecooceanos.blogspot.com,http://www.seo.org,. 106©2011theauthors;journalcompilation©2011TheInternationalBiogeographySociety—frontiersofbiogeography3.3,2011 notaspeciesofconcernfortheLaurelforest,and soon.Thisisnottosaythatthemostcommon structuringspeciesoftheCanarianecosystems havetobeincludedinthecatalogue,butwe wouldliketodrawattentiontotheinadequacyof theconcept. Butthisconceptualshortcomingpalesin comparisonwiththerealrepercussionofthenew criterion,whichisthatthosespecieslistedhere areonlyprotectedifpresentinanalreadydesig‐ natedNaturalProtectedArea(NPA).(IntheCa‐ naries,thatmeansineithertheCanarianNetwork ofNPAsortheEuropeanUnionNatura2000Net‐ work,whichoverlapextensively).Ifalistedspe‐ cies,forinstancethewoodcock(Scolopaxrusti‐ cola)orthecoot(Fulicaatra)whicharebothin‐ cludedunderthenewcriterion,dwellswithinthe limitsoftheprotectedareatheyaresafe;butif anybirdscrossthoselimits(whicharenotthat obvioustobirds,unfamiliarastheyarewithGIS), theycanbeshotlegallybyhunters.Thesamein‐ consistencyaffects,forinstance,ca.10endemic speciesofsealavenders(Limoniumspp.)pro‐ tectedincertainravines,butnotinothers. Thenewlawcouldhavenegativeimplica‐ tionsforconservationbiogeography,andthiscan beillustratedwithsomeexamplesoftheCanarian floraandfauna.TheendemiclegumeCicerca‐ nariensis,previouslyconsideredasvulnerablein the2001Canariancatalogue,isnowincludedun‐ derthecriterionspeciesofinterest.Fromits12 locations(teninLaPalmaandtwoinTenerife), thesixpopulationsintheNorthofLaPalma2are outsideNPAsandthereforeunprotectedaccord‐ ingtothenewlaw.Metapopulationdynamicsin thisspeciescouldbeaffectedbythisnewcriterion ifsourcepopulationswithinthesenorthernloca‐ tionsarethreatened,endangeringsinkpopula‐ tionsincludedinNPAs.Thesamecouldapplyto theAbaloneorCanarianclam(Haliotistuberculata ssp.coccinea)ortheSeaHorse(Hippocampuship‐ pocampus).Botharemarinespecieswithsparse populationsinthemeso‐andinfra‐littoral,which donotalwayscoincidewiththegeographicalloca‐ tionofthemarineSpecialAreasforConservation, whichoccupymainlyleewardfringesontheArchi‐ pelago’scoasts.Collectionandcaptureofboth speciesisprohibitedbytheRegulationoftheFish‐ JoséMaríaFernández‐PalaciosandLeadeNascimento 2.AccordingtotheevaluationofthisspeciesbytheCanarianGovernment(ServiciodeBiodiversidad2009),there aresixpopulationnucleiintheNorthofLaPalma,distributedinthreelocationsmorethan10kmdistantonefrom eachother. Box1 Law4/2010,June4,oftheCanarianCatalogueofProtectedSpecies(seetheoriginalSpanishtextat http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/boc/2010/112/) Article3.Canarianprotectedspecies 2)SpeciesofinterestforCanarianecosystems TheCanarianCatalogueofProtectedSpecieswillalsoinclude“speciesofinterestforCanarianecosys‐ tems"whicharethosethat,withoutbeinglistedinthethreateningsituationsabove(endangeredorvul‐ nerable),areworthyofparticularattentionforitsecologicalsignificanceinareasoftheCanarianNetwork ofNaturalProtectedAreasorNatura2000network. 2.EffectsofinclusionintheCatalogue b)Thelegalregimeforprotectionof“speciesofinterestforCanarianecosystems"willbeapplicableonly intheterritoryoftheCanarianNetworkofNaturalProtectedAreasorNatura2000Network.Tothisend, applicablemeasuresshallbeprovidedbythemanagementplansofNaturalProtectedAreasandHabitats oftheNatura2000Networkinwhichtheyarelocated.Suchplansshallincludethedeterminations,con‐ trolandmonitoringtoensureeffectivenessofprotection,orwhereapplicable,thejustificationthatthere isnoneedforplans.(...)Inthecaseofactionspromotedbyreasonsofpublicinterestandpriorityaffect‐ ingthe“speciesofinterestforCanarianecosystems"theseactionscouldbepossibleaslongastheydo notaffecttheecosystemsubstantially,underthetermsinparagraphs4to7oftheArticle45oftheLaw 42/2007,December13,ofNaturalHeritageandBiodiversity. 107frontiersofbiogeography3.3,2011—©2011theauthors;journalcompilation©2011TheInternationalBiogeographySociety Canarianconservationnetworkdismantled eriesLawoftheCanaryIslands,buttheirinclusion inthenewcriterionmayleadtoconfusiononthe fishingbaninpopulationsoutsideofthereserve networks. ThecaseoftheseagrassCymodocea nodosaisofparticularinterestfortworeasons; thisspeciesstructuresacommunity(“sebadales”), consideredasNaturalHabitatofCommunityIn‐ terestbytheHabitatsDirective,anditspresence inthelittoralzoneisoneofthemainobstaclesto theconstructionorenlargementofharbours.The mostrecentisthePuertodeGranadilla,where conservationofaEuropeanpriorityecosystem comesintoconflictwithEuropeanfundingofa largeinfrastructure.Thesebadalesareakeycom‐ munityfromanecologicalpointofviewasthey playanimportantroleinthecarboncycle,stabi‐ lizesandysoils,exportbiomassandactasafish nurseryarea(Barberáetal.2005).Thelatterchar‐ acteristicisalsoveryimportantforthesustainabil‐ ityoflocalfisheries.Also,themarinemeadowsof C.nodosaintheCanaryIslandsandMauritania arethemostextensiveexamplesatthespecies’ southernlimitandcompromisingthemmaythere‐ foreleadtorangecontraction.Theconstructionof PuertodeGranadillawillseverelydamageoneof themostgeneticallydiversepatchesofsebadales intheArchipelago(Albertoetal.2008).In2009, asaprecautionarymeasure,theSuperiorCourtof JusticeoftheCanaryIslandssuspendedthepro‐ posalsubmittedbytheCanarianGovernment,the PortAuthorityandtheCanarianCompanyofGas Transportation,todelistC.nodosa3.Currently,the EuropeanCourtshavedeclaredadmissiblethe complaintfiledbytheNGOEcologistasenAcción askingforthepublicreleaseofdocumentsthat includedalternativestotheconstructionofthe harbour(includingarenewaloftheinfrastruc‐ turesofalreadyexistingharbours),thatwerehid‐ denfromtheEuropeanCommissionbySpain’s NationalGovernment. Thiscontroversialcriterion—especiesde interésparalosecosistemascanaries—isanad‐ aptationofthecriterion“speciessusceptibleto habitatdisturbance”,fromthepreviouscatalogue. Infact,manyofthespeciesofinterestcomefrom theformerlistofsusceptiblespeciesoraredown‐ gradedthreatenedspecies.Howeverintheformer criteriontherewerenorestrictionsintheprotec‐ tion,suchasthelocationornotinaNPA,andthe mainconsiderationtoincludeaspecieswasthat itshabitatwasthreatened,inregression,frag‐ mentedorlimited.Thepreviouscriterionforpro‐ tectionwasmuchmoreappropriateifwethink aboutthedesignoftheCanarianNetworkof NPAs.UnfortunatelytheCanarianNetworkwas notbasedonathoroughanalysisofmetapopula‐ tiondynamics,geneticdiversityorviabilityof populations,butsimplyinprotectinglessde‐ gradedremnantsofcommunitiesthatwerestill available.Asinmanypartsoftheworld,reserves werenotdesignedtomeettheprinciplesofsys‐ tematicconservationplanningneededtoachieve representativenessandpersistenceofbiodiversity (MargulesandPressey2000).Thesituationfur‐ therworsensintheCanarieswhendata,trends andviabilityofpopulationsarealmostunknown. TheCanarianNetworkislargelyprotecting speciesfrommarginalpopulations.Moreover,the protectionofspeciespresentonlyinthecurrent ReserveNetworkinhibitsre‐establishmentof originaldistributions.Agoodexampleisthelaurel forestinAnagaRuralPark,whichnowadaysisthe bestrepresentationofthisforesttypeinTenerife yetstillanimpoverishedfractionofitspastdistri‐ butionthroughoutthewindwardslopeoftheis‐ land.Fromthepointofviewofmitigatingtheef‐ fectsofglobalchange,vulnerabilityofcertainspe‐ ciesoutsidetheNetworkwouldhinderaltitudinal migration,especiallywhenecologicalcorridorsare notincludedinthedesignofNPAs.  ThepracticeofprotectingtaxaonlyinNPAs isalreadyworkinginCatalonia(theonlyprece‐ dentinSpain).TheCatalonianPlanofAreasof NaturalInterestincludesspeciesoffloraand faunastrictlyprotectedindesignatedareas.To ourknowledgenocasesofthefailureofthese practicesorpublicdisapprovalhavebeenre‐ portedthere,butwesuspectthatthespecieswith restrictedprotectionintheCatalonianNPANet‐ 108©2011theauthors;journalcompilation©2011TheInternationalBiogeographySociety—frontiersofbiogeography3.3,2011 3.Seenewsinhttp://www.laprovincia.es. 4.Seehttp://www.laopinion.es,http://www.ecologistasenacción.org. JoséMaríaFernández‐PalaciosandLeadeNascimento workwerenotdemotedfromhigherprotection. Intheory,themainaimoftheexistenceofre‐ gionalcataloguesisensuringtheprotectionof particularspeciesthatarenotconsideredbythe NationalCatalogue.Ontheotherhandseveral authorshavequestionedandanalysedtheeffec‐ tivenessofNPAsNetworksinbiodiversityconser‐ vation(Jaffreetal.1998,Rodriguesetal.2004) andconcludedthatreservenetworksaregeo‐ graphicallyandtaxonomicallyunbalancedleaving abigproportionofendemicandthreatenedspe‐ ciesunprotected. Thiswayofthinkingmayfunctionwell whenprotectingaresource,forinstancemarine sanctuariesareintendedtoincreasecatchin neighbouringareasoutside,andthisworkscom‐ petentlyintheCanaries’MarineReserveswith FisheryInterest,butisnonsensicalwhentheaim ofthedeclarationistoprotectathreatenedspe‐ cies.IfaspeciesisprotectedwhenwithinaNPA, butunprotectedwhenbeyondthearea,whatis reallyachievedintermsofprotection?Mightitbe toocynicaltosuggestthegreatestachievement wouldbethepoliticalgoalofinflatingthenumber ofspeciesincludedinthecataloguethusreducing thenumberofcriticsofdelisting?Despitenumer‐ ouspublicprotestsandtheclearoppositionofthe majorityoftheCanarianscientificcommunity,the newcataloguewaspresentedbytheleadingpo‐ liticalforceintheRegionalParliament.These kindsofconflictsarenotexclusivetotheCanary Islandsandarenowadaystakingplaceindifferent regionsoftheworld(Possinghametal.2010, Metzgeretal.2011). Ifthedelistingitselfisnotofsufficientcon‐ cern,othernewsmakestheoutlookevenbleaker. TheCanariesharbourfourofthe13National Parks(NPs)inSpain–CañadasdelTeide (Tenerife),CalderadeTaburiente(LaPalma),Ti‐ manfaya(Lanzarote)andGarajonay(LaGomera) –despiterepresentingonly1.5%ofthecountry’s geographicalarea.Afterdecentralizationofthe SpanishStatewiththearrivalofthedemocracy, theNPsweresimultaneouslyco‐managedbythe CentralGovernment(Madrid)andtheRegional Governments.However,theSpanishConstitu‐ tionalCourtnowhasdeterminedthatNPsman‐ agementisexclusivelyamatterfortheRegional Governments.ConsequentlytheCentralGovern‐ menthastransferredallmanagementtothere‐ gions.InthecaseoftheCanarianarchipelago,this managementwasintendedtobesubsequently delegatedtotherespectiveislandCouncils (“Cabildos”)in2012,althoughrecentlythenew deputyofEnvironmentoftheCanarianGovern‐ mentexpressedherintentiontodiscussagainthis transferandtolimitthemanagementoftheis‐ landCouncilsintheNPs. Thetransfertoregionsisnotinherently bad,andforinstancewouldworkexceptionally wellinNorthernEuropeancountries.Theproblem isnotthelawbuthowitisdevelopedwhenthe mainpoliticalpartiesthatgovernintheCanary Islandsshownointerestsinconservation,andan alarmingnumberofitspoliticians,includingsome whohavesignificantresponsibilitiesinconserva‐ tion,havebeenchargedwithenvironmental crimes5.Althoughsomeimplicationsofdecentrali‐ zationshouldbepositive,forinstancethecreation ofregionallistsandplansconsideringtheparticu‐ larsofeachNPortheproximitytolocalspecialists andtechnicianswithawiderknowledgeofthe region,theresultisexactlyopposite.Withthe proximityofthemanagementcentrestotheNPs, thelikelihoodofpatronageandcorruptionseems likelytoincreasewhileunificationofconservation criteriaacrossthearchipelago’sfourNPsseems destinedtodecrease,especiallyifthedifferent islandCouncilsaregovernedbydifferentpolitical parties,whichiscurrentlythecase.Inaddition, jointmanagementoftheNPsandtheotherNPAs ineachislandwoulddilutetherigorandresources 5.Seepressreferencesinhttp://www.abc.es/20100322/canarias‐canarias/tres‐imputados‐coronan‐nueva‐ 20100322.html(lastaccessedAugust/2011);http://www.canarias‐semanal.com/elhierro.html(lastaccessedAu‐ gust/2011);http://www.eldia.es/2011‐04‐13/CANARIAS/5‐Es‐frecuente‐alcaldes‐esten‐imputados‐delitos‐ urbanisticos.html(lastaccessedAugust/2011);http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/corrupcion/presenta/ elecciones/elpepiesp/20110410elpepinac_1/Tes(lastaccessedAugust/2011);http://www.europapress.es/islas‐ canarias/noticia‐imputados‐canarias‐logran‐mantenerse‐instituciones‐20110524094822.html(lastaccessedAu‐ gust/2011). 109frontiersofbiogeography3.3,2011—©2011theauthors;journalcompilation©2011TheInternationalBiogeographySociety dedicatedtoNPs.Consideringthatbudgetsare notfixedthiswouldimplythatfundingtomanage theNPscouldeventuallybeusedinothertasks, moreconsistentwiththe"needsofthemoment". ArecentlycreatedCommissionofCanarianNPs, constitutedmainlyofpoliticiansandwithonlytwo advocatesforenvironmentalissues,leftasidethe presentdirectorsandconservatorsoftheNPs.It couldalsohappenthatoncetransferredtothe Councils,theelectionofnewdirectorswillnot considerthebalancebetweenconservationand managementskillsthatsuchpositionrequires. TheislandCouncilsarealreadyinchargeof themanagementoftheCanarianNetworkof NPAs.Whilesomeoftheseareashavebeenac‐ tivelymanagedotherslackanytypeofcontrol. ThesituationofsimilarNPAsvariesamongislands andformosttheactionplanshavebeenpartially orbarelyfulfilled,sothatnowadays(morethan tenyearsafteritsdeclaration)itisstilleasytofind dumps,illegalconstructions,invasivespecies,to‐ getherwithotherpotentialemergingthreats.De‐ spitethecapacityandgoodworkofenviron‐ mentaltechnicians,whostrugglewithbudgetcuts everyyear,theCouncilshavedemonstratedatra‐ jectoryofinefficiencyandlackofcommitmentto themanagementofNPAs.WithinthenewCa‐ narianNPsframework,therabbitswillreceivethe responsibilityoftakingcareofthelettuces.  Acknowledgements WewouldliketothankRafaelLoyolaandthree anonymousreviewersfortheircommentsonthe manuscript.Wearealsogratefultotheeditorial 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Rodrigues,A.S.L.,Andelman,S.J.,Bakarr,M.I.,etal. (2004)Effectivenessoftheglobalprotectedarea networkinrepresentingspeciesdiversity.Na‐ ture,428,640–643. ServiciodeBiodiversidad(2009).Evaluacióndeespe‐ ciescatalogadasdeCanarias:Cicercanariensis [Ciccan06/2009].ConsejeríadeMedioAmbien‐ teyOrdenaciónTerritorial,GobiernodeCana‐ rias,LasPalmasdeGranCanaria.Availableat http://www.gobcan.es/cmayot/ medioambiente/medionatural/biodiversidad/ especies/especies_protegidas_amenazadas/  EditedbyJoaquínHortal&MichaelNDawson YoucanfindinformationabouttheInternationalBiogeographySocietyathttp:// www.biogeography.org/,andcontactwithotherbiogeographersattheIBSblog(http:// biogeography.blogspot.com/),theIBSfacebookgroup(http://www.facebook.com/group.php? gid=6908354463)andtheIBStwitterchannel(https://twitter.com/biogeography). 110©2011theauthors;journalcompilation©2011TheInternationalBiogeographySociety—frontiersofbiogeography3.3,2011 Canarianconservationnetworkdismantled