Garajonay: Valores naturales - Aspectos generales de La Gomera

La Gomera is a volcanic island of some twelve million years of age, created by the accumulation of material emitted during different eruptive periods separated by long periods of calm.

One characteristic which differentiates La Gomera from the other Canary Islands resides in the fact that the latest eruptions occurred about two million years ago, which has enabled a prolonged and intense erosive action which has broken down the original volcanic relief, giving rise to the steep current morphology.

Los Órganos: A spectacular geological formation in the north of the island (Los Órganos de Vallehermoso) located in the north of the island are a magnificent example of columnar jointing.

Ravine in the south of La Gomera: The relief of the island of La Gomera is crossed by impressive ravines that are the product of continual erosion over the last two million years.

In this small area of hardly 376 km2 there is an incredible variety of landscapes which are, in good part, the product of the climatic contrasts caused by its abrupt contours, which rise to an altitude of close to 1500 metres, which are overlaid by the contrasts of orientation between the greener north, which reaps the benefit of the oceanic moisture of the trade winds and the drier south.

As you climb from the sea to the mountaintops, there are different layers of vegetation, as follows:

Lower area (from sea level up to 200-300 m on the northern side and 400-500 m on the soutward facing side). An area of high aridity, this layer is dominated by formations of tabaibal cardonal among which the tabaiba dulce (Euphorbia balsamifera) close to the coast, the tabaiba amarga (Euphorbia bertheloti) and the Canary Island Spurge (Euphorbia canariensis), accompanied on occasion by scrub of balos(Plocama pendula), are particularly important.

Intermediate area (up to 500-600 m on the northern side 800-1,100 m on the southward facing side). A little more rainy and cool than the previous layer, it is possible to distinguish a clear seasonality between summer and winter. The vegetation has certain Mediterranean affinities with the characteristic formation being the sabinar (Juniperus phoenicea), which on the southern side is replaced by jarales (Cistus monspeliensis) and retamares (Spartocytisus filipes and Retama monosperma). The palm trees (Phoenix canariensis) occupy the top of many of the ravines, associated generally with human settlements.

Highland area: covered in woodlands and arborescent scrublands, commonly known asMonteverde, a denomination which includes thelaurisilva characterised by developed woodlands, located in the moist areas oriented towards the north and by fayal brezal (heather and myrtle) in areas with worse soils in the drier southern orientations or in areas that have been degraded by human activity. The formations of monteverde currently cover some 5000 hectares on La Gomera, which is nearly one third of those that exist in the Canaries as a whole.

Among the most important economic activities, agriculture stands out; unfortunately it is undergoing a deep crisis at this moment. The main crops are the banana, grown for export and vegetables for local consumption. Tourism is the only activity with a certain dynamism, with three small centres having proved themselves over the last few years: Valle Gran Rey, Playa Santiago and San Sebastián de la Gomera, with holiday accommodation providing approximately 8,000 beds.

The Gomeran rural landscape is the result of human action over the centuries on a rugged and difficult territory for human settlement. The natural landscapes, described in another section, are currently profoundly transformed by human activity and occupation. The wonderful systems of terracing, which are the result of the efforts made to conquer lands which are suitable for cultivation, which are enriched by a remarkable network of water channels and irrigation systems which permit intensive agriculture with a high demand for water.

The settlements are to be found in the areas that are capable of being irrigated, which means in the lower areas of the large ravines. The population reached approximately 30,000 inhabitants in the 1950s, a level which can be considered to be extremely high in relation to the usable agricultural area, over 500 inhabitants per square kilometre, which caused a pressure on resources which was overwhelming. In those years, the traditional rural society characterised by isolation and adaptation to the poverty of the environment, began to collapse, with the population falling to 17,000 inhabitants by the beginning of the 1990s. Since then, the population has begun to stabilise and has even risen slightly, currently exceeding 20,000 inhabitants. Over these years, the island has gone from an autarchic economy to a highly dependent economy, in which agriculture, fishing and livestock, are undergoing reverses while tourism has grown, which involves an unfortunate abandonment and deterioration of the traditional agrarian landscape.