Coastal dunes geomorphosites to develop the geotourism in a volcanic subtropical oceanic island, Tenerife, Spain
Fecha
2022Resumen
Coastal areas are exposed to high levels of human occupation, which has led to their
degradation. Coastal dunes have been greatly altered by different historical and current land uses,
causing the loss of their natural and cultural values. On the coast of Tenerife there are volcanic and
organogenic sand active and relict dunes with multiple land uses, the most prominent of which is
tourism (also the main cause of their deterioration). The aim of this study is to demonstrate the
relevance of geomorphosites associated to the aeolian depositional systems of Tenerife as volcanic
geoheritage through the application of international methodologies used for these evaluations, and
to propose geotourism uses that will contribute to their sustainability. In Tenerife there are thirteen
aeolian system geomorphosites in which palaeodunes, active dunes and a combination of both have
been identified, 53.9% of which are protected. The main historical and current uses are related to
grazing, sand mining and tourism. These different land uses have produced the degradation of these
landforms, which have induced the loss of some of their scientific and additional values. The average
score for the scientific values (0.58) is higher than for the additional values (0.41) in most of the
thirteen selected geomorphosites; the values lie in the middle of the range and there is no correlation
between the scientific and additional values (R2 = 0.17). The geotourism proposal presented in this
study is associate to the volcanic diversity of the coast of Tenerife and should be aimed at both the
general public and specialists. The number of visitors should be restricted and sustainable according
to the zoning laws for the regulations and use of the protected areas; and it should use the net of
authorized paths which already exists in the geomorphosites. To this end, certain facilities will be
required to help disseminate and promote the heritage of Tenerife’s dune geomorphosites through
panels, websites, apps or QR codes.