Dissemination Department - March 5th 2008

Canary Islands a volcanic window in the Atlantic Ocean: an educational program about the volcanic phenomenon

Organized by ITER, has the support and collaboration of IGME, IEO, Gobierno de Canarias, FECAM and the Foundation Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello

ITER has prompted the launch of "Canary: A volcanic Window in the Atlantic Ocean," an educational program on the volcanic phenomenon for citizenship resident in the Canary Islands. This program has the support and collaboration of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) and the Spanish Oceanography Institute (IEO), both under the Education and Science Ministry of and Canary Islands Government through the Canarian Security Academy, the Canary Federation of Municipalities (FECAM) and the Foundation Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello.

The educational program "Canary Islands: A volcanic Window in the Atlantic Ocean" will be taught in all municipalities of the Canary Islands, including the core population of the small island of La Graciosa throughout this year 2008, declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Planet Earth.

This statement aims primarily to increase the knowledge and social awareness on issues related with Earth Sciences in order to deal with security challenges that our planet faces in this new century and that, consequently, affects the societies that inhabit it. To contribute to the reduction of natural hazards, including those related to the volcanic phenomenon, through the implementation of programmes aimed at informing and educating the public about natural hazards to which it exposes its territory is one of the specific objectives of the International Year of Planet Earth.

Following these guidelines, "Canary Islands: A volcanic Window in the Atlantic Ocean" aims to contribute in the reduction of the most common risk in this Community, the volcanic risk, now that the Canary Islands is the only active volcanic region of the country. This educational program aims to inform and educate the citizenry that resides in the Canaries on the different volcanic hazards resulting from its own volcanic activity, and the various actions that the society must materialize for reducing volcanic risk.

The educational program "Canary Islands: A volcanic Window in the Atlantic Ocean" will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays starting at 19:00 pm in all municipalities in the Canary Islands. As part of this program audio-visual projections developed by the international association of Volcanology (IAVCEI) and the United Nations for the development of education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) as well as by various experts on the Spaniards volcanic phenomenon will be presented. This program begins the first week of March in Fuencaliente (La Palma), being the municipality that experienced the last volcanic eruption recorded in the Canary Islands, and in Granadilla de Abona (Tenerife), taking into account the municipality where ITER is located; The catalyst for this multi institutional initiative.