VALOR workshop in Tenerife explores how people value pollinators
On 22 September 2026, VALOR researchers from the University of La Laguna and Jagiellonian University held a workshop in Arafo, Tenerife. The event looked at the cultural values local communities attach to pollinators and at how these could be affected under different future scenarios for the region. Participants discussed what matters to them about their local environment and how future changes in pollinator populations and land use might affect it. These discussions will feed into VALOR's wider research on society's dependence on pollinators.
The workshop brought together a large and diverse group of participants: students and older residents, representatives of NGOs and local government, beekeepers and organic farmers. Their active involvement and willingness to share their views made for rich and open discussions. The knowledge they brought included long-standing local traditions around pollinators. For example, in the Canary Islands a bumblebee flying by was once seen as a sign that news was on its way.
The programme included a field trip through the Barranco de Añavingo valley, led by Juan Antonio Curbelo from Arafo. He showed participants how native plants are being restored there.
The Tenerife focal region shows that approaches designed for mainland Europe cannot always be applied directly to remote islands with fragile natural and social environments. Including these perspectives in VALOR is vital and shows how important it is to scale projections down to the regional and local level.