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El Hierro: The Organic Island

By Islomaniac | February 6, 2008

El HierroI always enjoy reading articles about individuals or communities living on islands. More often when I read these articles it is about communities who are finding ways to live environmentally friendly on their islands. Although it is imperative that as a global community we work to preserve our environment, on small islands it is even more important as they are often fragile ecosystems. No one need look further than Easter Island to see what can happen to an island and a society when a community fails to live sustainably.

I recently read an article about the island of El Hierro, a tiny island in the Canary Islands. El Hierro is one of the few remaining islands in this archipelago that still boasts its peaceful pine forests, cliff lined coastlines and striking volcanic badlands. As one local puts it, “it’s one of the few places you’ll find that hasn’tEl Hierro been too destroyed by development.”

In order to ensure that El Hierro remains pristine the islands people and government have endeavored on an ambitious plan to make the entire island eco-friendly and energetically self-sufficient. With 70% of the land already declared a UNESCO protected Bio-Reserve the islands residents plan to take the preservation a step further. This includes a multi pronged plan which includes organic agriculture, recycling, offering electrically powered public transportation and promoting eco-friendly tourism.

What is happening on El Hierro is both impressive and inspiring. Their successes in the Canary Islands may serve as a model for other small island nations and indeed the rest of the world.

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Topics: Remote Islands, Environmental, Island Cultures |

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