Teide National Park Future Focus of Tenerife Conference

This week, the "Torre de las Nubes" conference is bringing together scientists from Spain and around the world in Tenerife. They'll be discussing important topics like climate change, the unique plants and animals of high mountains, Guanche archaeology, volcanoes, and especially the present and future of Teide National Park.

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, and running until Thursday the 23rd, Tenerife's capital city will host this public forum. Experts will share their research and ideas about how to protect, manage, and make the most of this natural wonder, which is also a World Heritage Site.

The conference is part of the "Torre de las Nubes" exhibition, organized by Volcano Teide through its TeideLab scientific platform. It's a joint effort with the Cabildo de Tenerife, the CajaCanarias Foundation, the La Caixa Foundation, Aemet (the Spanish weather service), the University of La Laguna, and Teide National Park.

The event will be held at the CajaCanarias Cultural Space. It aims to showcase a decade of research and highlight Teide as a living heritage, a symbol of identity, and a one-of-a-kind natural laboratory.

Speakers include Rubén del Campo, a meteorologist from Aemet. He'll explain how Mount Teide acts like a giant cloud factory, influencing the Canary Islands' climate and serving as an important place to observe climate change.

Águeda M. González Rodríguez, from the University of La Laguna, will discuss how special Teide plants, like the violet, survive in extreme conditions. Beatriz Fernández Marín, a plant ecophysiology researcher, will talk about how high-altitude plants are responding to climate change and how the landscape might change in the future. José Luis Martín Esquivel, the Teide National Park's conservation coordinator, will discuss the challenges of protecting this unique ecosystem, which is visited by millions of people each year.

Also attending are Valentin Troll, a leading European volcanologist from Uppsala University, and Juan Carlos Carracedo, a respected researcher of Canary Islands volcanoes from the CSIC. They will discuss the volcanic history of the National Park.

Archaeologist Matilde Arnay, from the University of La Laguna, will present the latest research on Guanche burial practices and their spiritual connection to the sacred mountain. Carlos Torres, an expert in atmospheric observation and greenhouse gas measurement from Aemet's Izaña Observatory, will share his important studies on climate change.

The "Torre de las Nubes" exhibition, which is open until October 26th, offers a journey through virtual reality, historical heritage, and scientific discoveries.