If you’ve ever driven through the Teno Rural Park in the northwest of Tenerife, you’ll know it’s one of those places that genuinely stops you. Ancient laurel forests, dramatic ravines, and a landscape that feels like it belongs to another era. Monte del Agua is the jewel at its centre — and on Tuesday 14th April 2026, there’s a full day event in Los Silos dedicated entirely to its future.
The Jornada Técnica y Divulgativa — which roughly translates as a technical and educational day — runs from 9:00 to 17:30 and brings together experts, local stakeholders, and anyone who cares about what happens to this part of the island. The official title is a bit of a mouthful: “On the protection of Monte del Agua and the recovery of the midlands: possibilities of land stewardship and the creation of mosaic landscapes in the Teno Rural Park.” But strip that back and it’s really about three things: stopping fires, bringing back biodiversity, and giving the rural economy a reason to exist again.
What Will Actually Be Discussed
The day is structured around real problems and, importantly, real solutions. Fire prevention is front and centre — and rightly so. The Canary Islands have seen what unchecked fires can do. The forests in this part of Tenerife are irreplaceable, and the conversation around how to protect them is well overdue.
Beyond fires, the programme looks at biodiversity recovery. The laurisilva — the ancient laurel forest that clings to the northern slopes of Teno — is a UNESCO-recognised ecosystem. It survived the ice age. The question now is whether it can survive the pressures of the modern world, including abandonment of traditional farming that once kept the landscape in balance.
That leads into the third thread: rural reactivation. There’s a growing body of thinking around “mosaic landscapes” — the idea that a mix of cultivated land, managed woodland, and wild areas is actually better for fire prevention and biodiversity than either intensive farming or complete abandonment. It’s not nostalgic thinking. There’s solid science behind it.
Land Stewardship as a Practical Tool
One of the most interesting aspects of this event is the focus on custodia del territorio — land stewardship. This is the legal and voluntary framework that allows private and public landowners to work with conservation bodies to manage their land for environmental benefit. It’s already working well in parts of mainland Spain. Whether it can be applied effectively in Teno is what the day’s participants will be exploring.
The format is deliberately participatory. This isn’t a row of experts talking at an audience. There are spaces built in for discussion, for sharing ideas, and for building proposals collectively. If you have a stake in this — as a farmer, a resident, a hiker, or just someone who loves the northwest corner of the island — it’s worth showing up.
Los Silos is easy enough to reach from most parts of Tenerife, and a day like this comes around rarely. The people with the knowledge and the people with the land in the same room, actually trying to work something out together.
Find out more and register here.