The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) and La Gomera Island Council have met to advance the preparation of a collaboration framework aimed at connecting PLOCAN’s scientific and technological capabilities with the island’s priorities and facilitating the development of initiatives related to the marine and coastal environment.
The meeting was attended by Adasat Reyes, First Vice-President and Councillor for the Internal Governance and Island Heritage Department of La Gomera Island Council; Juan Carlos Moreno, New Technologies Advisor to the Island Council; and PLOCAN’s Director, José Joaquín Hernández Brito.
The collaboration is designed as an open framework that will allow actions of common interest to be incorporated progressively, without limiting cooperation to a single project, technology or location. As a starting point, a draft general cooperation protocol has been prepared for joint review, which will serve as the basis for defining future initiatives and the instruments needed to develop them.
The proposed areas of work include ocean and coastal observation, biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and the testing of technological solutions. It also covers training, scientific outreach, knowledge transfer, and the preparation of proposals to access funding programmes.
Connecting with La Gomera’s productive fabric occupies a prominent place in the proposal, as it seeks to identify the needs of businesses and professionals and explore responses through research and innovation, in areas such as artisanal fishing, responsible marine tourism, maritime services and port activities. The aim is for scientific knowledge to help improve the sustainability of these activities and open up new opportunities for the island.
The draft also envisages the possibility of involving municipal councils, educational institutions, fisheries sector organisations and other local stakeholders in the actions defined, depending on their functions and the nature of each initiative.
The next proposed step is to cross-reference the island’s priorities with the available capabilities and select the first actions to assess their viability. Each one will need to define its objectives, participants, resources, timeline and implementation conditions.
The meeting is part of the process of preparing the future agreement and does not constitute its signing. Specific actions will be subject to the corresponding review and approval, as well as to the availability of resources and any necessary authorisations.
