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VolcanoStories
As a Geoscience education and sustainable tourism company based in the Canary Islands, with a special interest in responsible science communication, we are in a unique position to document and analyse volcanic activity, readiness, reconstruction, and sustainable tourism practices. The VolcanoStories project by GeoTenerife is a multi-media project which aims to increase the awareness and understanding of volcanic preparedness, sustainable tourism, and geological research. To fulfil these aims we work with leading local, regional, and national institutions via our unique training programmes GeoIntern, VolcanoCamp, and MarineSciCamp, with students and scholars from around the globe. Our alumni work with us year-round to advance our research projects.
We aim to increase awareness and understanding of the impacts of the 2021 volcanic eruption and reconstruction in La Palma.
The Sustainable Tourism Project
We aim to increase awareness and understanding of the impacts of the mass tourism model in the Canary Islands on residents, the environment, and economic stability.
We aim to increase the awareness and understanding of volcanic risk, emergency plans, communication, and preparedness in the Canary Islands.
Our most recent projects
NEW: La Palma Reconstruction Update
We aim to collect, summarise, and analyse news articles from trustworthy news sources, regarding the reconstruction efforts in la Palma.
La Palma Reconstruction – March 2024
Lava Bombs 2: The Reconstruction Premieres on La Palma at Teatro Chico cinema. The hard-hitting film follows on from the prequel Lava Bombs: Truths Behind the Volcano, and analyses the current situation on the island and the progress of reconstruction of the island, through the voices of those affected. 63 more homes opened in Puerto Naos: From 18th March, 63 more homes, located in the green, orange and red zones of the town, have been opened up for their inhabitants. The €1.7 million fine imposed on the Insular Water Council in 2023 for the nature of the installation of the Las Hoyas-Remo pipeline has expired
New: Opinion Piece published on VolcanoStories
We aim to use our project to publish short-form articles, which are easy to read, and relevant to residents, especially La Palma’s reconstruction, volcanic readiness, and tourism practices in the Canary Islands. Available en Español and in English.
A TIME TO LISTEN: If residents are shouting, it’s because they don’t feel heard
Local activists are organising large-scale demonstrations across the Canary Islands on April 20th, to make their concerns heard over the impact of a rampant increase in tourism numbers and large-scale resorts planned in the islands. While the Canary Islands depend heavily on tourism for their income and are among world leaders in providing holidays in the sun, the current tourism model favours international developers with a record return on their investment and unrivalled occupancy rates year-round. This has led to traffic jams, pricing locals out of the housing market, and increase pressure on natural resources. Local administration representatives and hoteliers are speaking out against the demonstrations, saying that any negative coverag
NEW: The Cuna del Alma 'Eco-resort' and the threat it poses to El Puertito
Cuna del Alma is the proposed ‘eco-resort’ promoting ‘sustainable tourism’ to be developed in the Puertito de Adeje area, Tenerife. This small coastal area is one of the few currently untouched natural spaces found in the south of the island. We have worked with local, national, and international experts and institutions to analyse the impacts of the proposed resort.
Our multimedia analysis project includes the following:
- 3D Models of the proposed site and the marine environment
- Timeline of El Puertito land use and the Cuna del Alma project
- Interactive map of the Vegetation, Marine Life, and Geology in El Puertito
- Drone footage of the marine habitat of Puertito de Adeje
- Video interviews and testimonials from residents and expertsÂ
- A detailed report on the impact of this project on the people and environmentÂ
Published articles and Opinion pieces
We aim to use our project to publish short-form articles, which are easy to read, and relevant to residents, especially La Palma’s reconstruction, volcanic readiness, and tourism practices in the Canary Islands. Available en Español and in English. These articles are the opinions of our collaborating experts and staff but are referenced to scientific articles and news articles for you to find out more about the topics if you wish. Click on the title you would like to read to access the free academic paper:
A TIME TO LISTEN: If residents are shouting, it’s because they don’t feel heard
Local activists are organising large-scale demonstrations across the Canary Islands on April 20th, to make their concerns heard over the impact of a rampant increase in tourism numbers and large-scale resorts planned in the islands. While the Canary Islands depend heavily on tourism for their income
THE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION PROCESS DURING THE LA PALMA ERUPTION ERRORS, SUCCESSES, LEARNINGS AND PROPOSALS FOR IMPROVEMENT
After nearly fifty years without showing obvious signs of volcanic activity on the surface, in 2021 there was a new eruption in the area known as Cabeza de Vaca in La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain). The eruption lasted eighty-five days and caused numerous losses due to the extensive area affected by
Lava Bombs: Truths Behind The Volcano
Lava Bombs: Truths Behind The Volcano captures the explosive stories behind the crisis and response to the 2021 Volcán de Tajogaite eruption in Cumbre Vieja on La Palma in the Canary Islands. Lava Bombs reveals the heavy impact of this major disaster, through the voices of the affected people, emergency managers, politicians and scientists, as well as showcasing spectacular imagery captured by witnesses, news crews and drone pilots. Themes of communication, trust and missteps are analysed as we start to look towards lessons learned for future emergencies of all kinds
Lava Bombs: The Reconstruction dives into what happens after the most destructive eruption in an island’s history ends. The eruption of the Tajogaite volcano hit international headlines in 2021, but LavaBombs Part 2 reveals the struggle to recover on this small island in the middle of the Atlantic. Through dramatic footage and intimate testimony from politicians, scientists, residents and activists this new documentary digs deep behind the headlines to unpick the successes and failures of the following two years post-eruption.
Urgent Events in the Canary Islands
We aim to collect and publish updates, from trustworthy news sources, regarding urgent events in the Canary Islands, so that residents and tourists alike can use this hub of information during an emergency and act as a record of events after the event has ended.
Tenerife’s 2023 wildfire was the most devastating fire in the Canary Islands in the last 40 years and the most severe in Spain in 2023; The fire affected nearly 15,000 hectares, burning 7% of the surface of Tenerife, and causing 80.4 million euros of damage. The forest fire has caused approximately 12 million euros of damage to the agricultural sector, including 2,500-3,500 hives that were destroyed. In addition, it caused more than 12,000 people to have to be evacuated throughout the course of the fire, 364 farms and 246 buildings were affected. Up to 60 protected species may have been impacted by the forest fire, but the true impact on these species is not yet known.
The volcanic eruption on La Palma was preceded by a seismic swarm starting on September 11th, and by September 19th the volcano, later named Tajogaite, started erupting. Over the following weeks and months, the lava flows continued to advance, encroaching over 900 hectares of land and destroying more than 1,000 buildings. The eruption was accompanied by earthquakes with magnitudes up to 5.1 mbLg, occasionally felt across multiple Canary Islands.Â
Our Day-by-Day Eruption Updates from September 11th 2021 – December 25th 2021 includes:
- Maps of lava flows, earthquakes, and exclusion zones each day
- Summary of geological data released by IGN
- Twitter posts made by official Canarian civil service accounts and scientists
Coming soon: La Palma Forest Fire Resources
Following temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius during July 2023, at least 2,000 people across Puntagorda and the neighbouring municipality Tijarafe were evacuated as a forest fire burned in El Pinar de Puntagorda, La Palma. As a result of the fire 12 homes and 4,500 hectares of land were burned.
Outreach
Interviews
We are often interviewed by local, national, and international news sources for information about volcanic activity, forest fires, and more in the Canary Islands. We are happy to share our knowledge with as many people as possible.
Resident focus
Alongside our resident-focused science, we run the campaigns FFP2 and SamuLaPalma to support those affected by the La Palma 2021 eruption. Furthermore, we make school visits to encourage volcano science in younger Canarian Residents, and also make our internship programmes accessible to students who live in the Canary Islands to ensure our projects benefit the residents of the Canary Islands.
Conferences
We co-organise the annual VulcanaSymposium with the IEO and also attend other volcanological conferences, VMSG, IAVCEI, and COV12, to discuss our projects and their results with experts in the field of volcano science, in particular Q&As for our LavaBombs documentary. Our VolcanoStories Content Co-ordinator was invited to present at the Royal Holloway University Lyell Geology Day regarding the Tajogaite Eruption timeline project.
Collaborations
GeoTenerife is committed to fostering valuable collaborations with local, national, and international research institutions, to both conduct valuable geoscience research in the Canary Islands
We are always looking to welcome new collaborations, so if you or your company/research institution is interested in collaborating with us, please get in touch with us via enquiries@geotenerife.com
Our Collaborators include:
- IGN, Instituto Geográfico Nacional
- Dr Catalina Arguello, Social Psychologist, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja
- Dr Katy Chamberlain, Volcanologist, Liverpool University
- Dr Pablo Gonzalez, Volcano Geophysicist, Spanish National Research Council
and many more valued collaborators.
Sharon Backhouse
VolcanoStories DirectorNatalia Puche
VolcanoStories Content CollaboratorBen Ireland
VolcanoStories EditorRosie Rice
VolcanoStories Science Content CollaboratorAjay Wynne Jones
VolcanoStories Science Content Co-ordinatorTamsin Backhouse
VolcanoStories Social Media ManagerIf you were involved in or affected by the 2021 La Palma eruption in any way, we would love to hear from you about your experiences and thoughts. If you would like to contribute towards this work, please visit our Contribute page
VolcanoStories content is freely available for students, educational establishments and academics – all we ask is that you cite “GeoTenerife’s VolcanoStories”.Â
GeoTenerife’s VolcanoStories content is not to be used for commercial use. Any media or commercial outlet wanting to use any content herein should contact us in writing in the first instance via enquiries@geotenerife.com. For more detail, refer to our Terms of Use.