Tenerife Supports Efforts to Protect Dolphins
UNESCO presented its Year of the Dolphin campaign on 16.2.2007 on the Canaries. The presentation attracted a wide interest among the representatives of the press and media in the Government House on the Island of Tenerife.
The President of the island, Ricardo Melchior, and the Director General for the Environment of the Government of the Canaries, Juan Carlos Moreno, announced their support for the campaign.
The Loro Parque Foundation has also launched a range of events to raise the interest of pupils on whale-watching trips in scientific research of marine mammals, and to motivate students to support their conservation and protection. TUI España participated in the organisation of the event and provided transport for the students using World of TUI buses.
The President of the Loro Parque Foundation, Wolfgang Kiessling, reaffirmed the need for a large protected area in the Atlantic to ensure the survival of dolphins and small marine mammals. The President of the island and the government representative in charge of environmental affairs pledged their support for the establishment of an Atlantic protection zone off the coast of West Africa, as also suggested by Cipriano Márin, Centro UNESCO Canarias.
The next step is a workshop to be organised by the Government of the Canaries with the intention of bringing together the various interest groups such as boat owners, tourism companies, government, protection organisations, foundations and environmental organizations and to elaborate future conservation activities.
