Zona Especiale de Conservación Piña de mar de Granadilla

The Piña de Mar de Granadilla Special Conservation Area is a tiny but ecologically significant protected zone on the eastern coast of Tenerife, within the municipality of Granadilla de Abona. Despite its official-sounding name, this is one of the smallest sites in the entire Canary Islands' Natura 2000 network — covering just 0.93 hectares, split across three separate subareas. Small in size, it nonetheless plays an outsized role in the survival of a single, critically endangered plant species found almost nowhere else on Earth.

Why was this site protected?

The story behind this protected area is tied directly to the construction of the port of Granadilla. That infrastructure project had a notable impact on the surrounding coastal ecosystems, and as a compensatory measure, the Canary Islands government moved to protect the habitat of the piñamar (Atractylis preauxiana), an endemic plant species facing extinction. The process began in December 2006, when the site was proposed as a Site of Community Importance (LIC — Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria). It was formally incorporated into the Natura 2000 network following a European Commission Decision of 25 January 2008, which updated the list of protected sites in the Macaronesian biogeographic region. The site received its final designation as a Special Conservation Area (ZEC — Zona Especial de Conservación) through Decree 174/2009, dated 29 December 2009.

What exactly is being protected here?

The primary reason for the site's protection is the presence of the piñamar, a rare endemic plant that grows in a specific vegetation type known as tabaibal dulce (a plant community classified as Ceropegio fuscae-Euphorbietum balsamiferae), characteristic of Tenerife's eastern coastline. The protected area also contains habitat type 5330 — thermo-Mediterranean and pre-desert scrub, typical of the dry, sun-exposed coastal terrain found along this part of the island.

According to a 2009 census, the piñamar population in Granadilla numbered 47 individual plants. This represents a small but meaningful fraction of a much larger, isolated island-wide population, which totaled 1,410 specimens spread across several locations in Tenerife. The Granadilla population is itself split into three distinct nuclei, or subpopulations, corresponding to the three polygons that make up the protected site.

Earlier still, in February 2007, the Canary Islands government had already approved a formal Recovery Plan for the piñamar species through Decree 33/2007, laying the legal groundwork for the conservation measures that followed.

What should visitors know about the area?

Given its small size and strict protection status, this is not a conventional tourist destination in the sense of a scenic lookout or beach — it is, first and foremost, a site of scientific and ecological importance. Its value is best appreciated by botanists, biologists, and anyone with an interest in the unique and often overlooked flora of the Canary Islands. It's worth knowing that the site sits close to the port of Granadilla, on the eastern coast of the island, within the municipality of Granadilla de Abona — one of the larger towns in southern Tenerife.

Frequently asked questions

What is the piñamar (Atractylis preauxiana)? It is an endemic, critically endangered plant native to the Canary Islands, protected under a recovery plan approved in 2007.

How large is this protected area? Just 0.93 hectares, divided into three separate subareas or polygons.

When was this conservation area established? It was first proposed as a Site of Community Importance in December 2006, and formally designated a Special Conservation Area by decree on 29 December 2009.

Why was this specific site chosen for protection? As a compensatory measure for the environmental impact of the Granadilla port construction, and to safeguard the surviving population of the endangered piñamar plant.