Biosphere Reserve La Palma

La Palma, whose historic name is San Miguel de La Palma, is an island in Atlantic Ocean belonging to the archipelago of the Canary Islands, which are a territory of Spain.  Attached to and part of the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital is Santa Cruz de La Palma.  Since 2002, the entire island is classified as a Biosphere Reserve.  After Lanzarote and El Hierro, La Palma is the third Canary Island recognized by Unesco with this protection.

This territory of the island is very steep, reaching 2426 meters at the Roque de Los Muchachos, the highest point.  In the northern third portion is a large depression, or caldera, formed by erosive actions.  The area was declared a National Park in 1954.

A range of volcanoes called Cumbre Vieja run from the middle of the island to the south, between those of San Antonio, the Volcano of San Juan and Teneguia. The Cumbre Vieja last erupted in 1971.  Other parks include the La Palma Cumbre Vieja National Park and the Parque Natural de Las Nieves, as well as a number of smaller entities that enjoy a degree of protection.

In 1983, Unesco declared the area of “El Canal y Los Tilos” a Biosphere Reserve.  This area was expanded in 1997 to form the “Biosphere Reserve of Los Tilos.”  Finally, in 2002, the reserve was extended to the whole island under the name of the Biosphere Reserve of La Palma.

La Palma is one of the Canary Islands with the most forest area, both pine and laurel.  In agriculture, the main crops from the Canary Islands are bananas and grapevine.

At present, the most populated town of the island is Los Llanos de Aridane, its population exceeding that of the island capital Santa Cruz de La Palma.