March 25 will mark the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Garajonay National Park on the island of La Gomera, approved by Law 3/1981. The Park, with an area of about four thousand hectares of public ownership, exceeds 10% of the surface of the island. Subsequently, UNESCO included it in 1986, in the list of natural assets that are part of the World Heritage. Garajonay is also the most emblematic area of the island of La Gomera, which was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2012.

The Park borders with other protected areas such as the Roque Blanco Natural Monument to the north; the Majona Natural Park to the east; the formidable Lomo del Carretón Natural Monument between Alojera and Taguluche to the west; and to the south the Orone Protected Landscape and the Benchijigua Integral Natural Reserve. The Park includes the Natural Monument of Los Roques, with the rocks of Agando, Ojila, La Zarcita and Carmona, and the public utility mountains of San Sebastián, Hermigua, Agulo and Vallehermoso.

In my next book to be published in a few weeks on "Ecology, climate change and sixth extinction", I make a special reference to the declaration of these protected areas and spaces in order to conserve the most vulnerable species and habitats, with a special mention to the Garajonay National Park as a protected natural area that, due to its special charm, has been incorporated in 2008 to the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) of the EUROPARC Federation; In 2009 it was declared a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) of the Natura 2000 Network, according to the Community Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds. 

The objective of the Natura Network is not to create wildlife reserves in which all human activity is excluded but, on the contrary, to seek a relationship of harmony and symbiosis between natural ecosystems and man. In the Network's areas, the aim is to carry out sustainable activities ranging from tourism and sports activities compatible with nature to agricultural and forestry activities, in such a way as to make the economy of the local authorities compatible with nature protection. In this way, the public utility of natural areas is increased and sensitivity to biodiversity conservation is enhanced.

As is well known, the Park takes its name from the high point of Garajonay, the highest point of the island at 1487 m and the hamlet of El Cedro, which is the lowest part at about 650 m above sea level. The Park is home to the best laurel forest reserve in the Canary Islands, as a relic of the Tertiary rainforests that covered practically all of Europe. The laurel forest is characterized by a uniform climatic regime with small variations in temperature and almost constant humidity due to the horizontal rain of the 'sea of clouds' produced by the trade winds. This horizontal rain is of vital importance in the islands for the recharge of subway aquifers.

The Park includes an extraordinary biological diversity, with 4,182 described species, of which 1,063, that is, 25% are endemic to the Canary Islands and 268 are exclusive to La Gomera, mainly concentrated in the monteverde and laurel forests of the central area of the island, where new species are still being discovered today, such as the Gomero pigeon beak 'Lotus gomerythus'. Of these species, 2,000 are invertebrates. Of these, 577 are endemic to the Canary Islands and 227 are exclusive to La Gomera.

The most representative species of the laurel forest are laurels, viñátigos, tiles, acebiños, durillos and palo blanco. The main components of the fayal-brezal are the fayas and heathers of arboreal size.
The vertebrate fauna includes 38 species, among which the most important ones are the common dove (Columba junoniae) and the turquoise pigeon (Columba bollii), endemic to the Canary Islands, and the woodcock, which is more widely distributed.

Recreation and tourist enjoyment of the park.

According to the National Institute of Statistics, Garajonay National Park receives more than 820,000 visitors annually, although this figure has clearly decreased in the last year due to the pandemic of the coronavirus, COVID-19. Most of these visits come from organized excursions from Tenerife that cross the Park by bus with some stops at viewpoints and sometimes at the Visitor Center. On the other hand, tourism that stays overnight on the island is a much smaller number of visitors, mainly from Germany and other European countries, who enjoy the park by hiking along the carefully marked trails. According to my colleague in the Department, Dr. Villarroya, "these types of walks in the mountains reduce stress levels, moderate tension and strengthen the immune system. Countries such as Japan have already incorporated this prescription into their healthcare system, and doctors prescribe shinrin-yoku sessions -forest baths- to prevent certain conditions or reinforce treatments".

The Park is managed by the Cabildo Insular de La Gomera, which has published various publications that help visitors to learn about the values of Garajonay, with the Juego de Bolas Visitor Center, which offers a wide range of information and interpretation services; and the Aula de la Naturaleza in the Caserío de El Cedro, in the vicinity of the Park, for carrying out environmental education activities.