Lanzarote receives the environment certificate for tourist centres.
Lanzarote has received the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 14001 certificate for the excellent management of environment of its Tourist Centres. This ISO norm is considered as the most important one worldwide for a proper environment system and measures the compromise which the destinations, companies, organisms etc. adopt for the environment. It is based upon the method of: planning-acting-controlling-optimizing. This norm does not really demand any requirements but it asks to meet the responsibilities during a general environment audit by the petitioning organism. At present only 11,000 organizations in Spain have this ISO 14001 certificate.
Héctor Fernández, director of tourism on Lanzarote stated at the tourist fair FITUR in Madrid: “The aim we pursue since many years is an excellent environment performance and our Tourist Centres do play an essential role within our tourist model “ …: “on one side they serve as orientation due to their perfect distribution and on the other side as interpretation centres for the area where they are located.”
At present 42% of Lanzarote’s surface is protected like the National Park Timanfaya, many conservation areas, areas of scientific interest and last but not least, the biggest European conservation area in the sea El Archipiélago Chinijo.
This areas are partially exposed to the influence of 130,000 habitants, adding to this more than 1,600,000 foreign and 400,000 national tourists per year. Therefore a well working environment management is from great importance for the island. But also because since 1993 Lanzarote is an Biosphere Island.
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