- The tour program brought together families who enjoyed this space, which was formerly a landfill, and now houses the best collection of palm trees in Europe
The mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez, recognizes "the importance of these tours that have been held for the eighth year running and provide important information about the species and stories of the still little-known garden that originated from the conversion of a landfill and is now a storehouse of global biodiversity."
For her part, the head of Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado, stated that "these tours have once again been a success, as they combine family, leisure, education, and environmental awareness. In addition to providing support to make these visits possible, Fundación Cepsa is very much engaged in several biodiversity and educational projects at the Palmetum, and we believe it is essential to enhance the value of this space."
The councilor of Environmental Sustainability and vice president of the Sustainable Santa Cruz Foundation, Carlos Tarife, praised "the efforts of both organizations, which have been working hand in hand for years to offer this tour program as a fun activity for families on the island, in order to raise awareness of this treasure of biodiversity."
The Santa Cruz Palmetum was inaugurated on January 28, 2014, after a process that lasted more than 20 years and consisted of transforming a totally deteriorated space into a paradise for nature. A unique project in the world with the best collection of palm trees in Europe, considered the largest botanical collection of tropical island palms in the world.
The Palmetum is a space of 122,000 square meters partially reclaimed from the sea, with 1,400 plant species, of which some 70 are in danger of extinction, as well as one of the most complete collections of palm trees in the world.
It is a space where, over the years, a complex ecological system has developed in which a wide variety of birds have established themselves spontaneously and it has become a place of passage for numerous migratory species. It also has several viewpoints overlooking the sea, the city and the Anaga mountain range. It is the perfect place to have fun and learn with the family.
