Declared a Natural Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993, Lanzarote, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, is one of the finest examples of how to strike a balance between the development of tourism and the preservation of natural and cultural resources. 

Lanzarote surged up from the depths of the ocean millions of years ago, and its geological history since then has been extremely eventful. Successive eruptions have sculpted the landscape of what the ancients used to call the Island of Fire, producing an incomparably attractive result. There are over 300 volcanoes on the island, and 41 per cent of its total surface area is safeguarded under the mantle of 13 protected nature reserves. Inside them are magnificent ecosystems teeming with life.
The best example is doubtless to be found in the mountains of Timanfaya. This National Park is one of Lanzarote's main attractions, and journeying into it is like travelling across another planet. Fields of petrified lava stretch on both sides of the road, sending shivers through those who stand and gaze at the intriguing view. The heat which still escapes from the bowels of the earth is used for cooking at the Restaurante El Diablo, built on top of El Islote de Hilario. Surprising demonstrations are performed there for tourists.
The nature reserve of the Chinijo Archipelago, to the north of the main island, protects peculiar coastal and maritime environments, such as the eolian sand flats of El Jable de Famara. In these areas, living beings have adapted to the environment around them, resulting in a high rate of genuinely endemic species, including, for instance, all the local reptiles.
But it is not only animals and plants that have been forced to adapt to this inhospitable terrain. Man too has had to suit his traditional methods to the physical environment in order to survive. Since remote times, the island's economy has been driven by specialised agriculture, and although its place has now been taken by tourism, the islanders still keep their age-old traditions alive.
The cultivation of cochineal was once one of Lanzarote's prime economic activities, and its breeding remained a prosperous and very profitable business until the appearance of chemical dyes at the end of the 19th century. The prickly pear, a type of cactus that grows all over the Canaries, develops a paradoxically lucrative disease. The cochineal insect, a parasite, lays its eggs on the fertile plants, covering them with black granules which are then extracted, scalded and ground down to obtain the precious reddish powder known as carmine. This resistant natural dye is still used today in cosmetics (for lipstick), confectionery and some kinds of textiles, such as the colouring of Persian rugs. Farms of this type are still found in the Guatiza area, which is alive with scents and colours when the prickly pears bloom in April and May.
Another region is La Geria, a plateau covered with the ashes from the last eruption, which has become famous for its quality wines. The farmers cultivate the land by taking advantage of the properties of the volcanic sand, or rofe, which is able to retain the moisture of the dew and reduce its evaporation during the hottest hours of the day. They dig a conical hole in the earth, plant the stock, cover it with gravel and surround it with stone walls to protect it from the intense winds. This type of traditional agriculture has given rise to a uniquely geometrical landscape of circles with surprising tonal contrasts of green and black.
The salt industry is represented by the famous salt flats of El Janubio, the only ones still in use. The wind energy that was formerly used to extract the water has been replaced by electricity, but the place retains its charm nonetheless. Most of the salt is destined for the fishing sector and particularly for canned fish preserves, though there are still some curious traditions, like the local custom on Corpus Christi of making pretty pictures on the ground out of coloured salt.
Uga is the home of another of Lanzarote's unusual activities, dromedary breeding. These animals stand up well to the inhospitable lava terrain, and have been used in agriculture since remote times. Today, they carry tourists up into the 'Mountains of Fire' of Timanfaya.
Captivated by all this natural and cultural wealth, the artist Cesar Manrique began in the seventies to inculcate the people of Lanzarote with a sense of respect for their environment. As he said on one occasion, "it's a matter of making the tourist industry live side by side by a defence of one's own land and culture. Such cohabitation is not merely possible but necessary if we're not to live with our backs to the future."
Born in Arrecife, Manrique spent his childhood summers in the small coastal town of Famara. The colours and textures of the sand caused a strong impression on the artist, who never hesitated to affirm that Lanzarote was the most beautiful place on Earth, and that if others were able to see it through his eyes, they would come round to his opinion. From then on, he made it his mission to show the beauty of his island to the world.
He found ways to integrate his architectural designs into their surroundings so that his art would exalt the natural wonders of his beloved land. Los Jameos del Agua, one of his major works, partly exemplifies this concept. Here, he took advantage of
the magic of two volcanic tubes, which were partly flooded with seawater and inhabited by an extremely rare species of blind crab, and transformed them into an area developed for leisure, art and culture.
His own house of the local taro type in Tahiche is now the Cesar Manrique Foundation. It stands on five volcanic bubbles and a river of lava whose bluish black colour even penetrates the living-room walls.
The artist's legacy remains alive in every corner of the island. The people of Lanzarote have struck a balance with their environment, managing to prevent the development of tourism, currently their principal source of wealth, from disfiguring the island's aesthetic harmony.
This model of sustainable development is exemplified by the Centres of Art, Culture and Tourism, where unique natural and cultural attractions are rehabilitated and presented to tourists under an aura of quality.
Special mention should go to the Cactus Garden, located in an old [rofe] quarry. Displayed in the form of a natural amphitheatre is a stunning spectacle of 9700 plants belonging to 1420 species. Spectacular too is El Mirador del Rio, a belvedere at a height of over 400 metres on the cliffe of Famara, with magnificent views over the ocean and'the neighbouring islands of La Graciosa, Alegranza and Montana Clara.