The long-awaited opening of Poema del Mar, an innovative aquarium developed by the company Loro Parque, took place on Sunday, 17th December in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Located next to the Cruise Ship Pier in the Sanapu Dock, only 200 meters away from the famous Las Canteras Beach, the aquarium has illuminated the center of the capital of the island with multi-colored shark silhouettes on the façade of the building.
This modern and ambitious project measures over 12.500 m2 and contains over 350 species of animals with a strong commitment to innovation, the conservation of biodiversity, and excellence in sustainable tourism. The authorities of the Canary Islands, Spain, have called Poema del Mar as a project of ‘strategic, regional interest’, which would reinforce Gran Canaria and the entire archipelago as one of the top international tourism destinations worldwide.
Poema del Mar will continue the same commitments demonstrated by Loro Parque. Loro Parque’s commitment to the well-being of its animals, along with conservation of the biodiversity and protection of the environment has been confirmed through multiple national and international distinctions, seals of quality and other environmental awards received throughout the company’s 45-year-long history. Among the recent recognitions, both Loro Parque and its waterpark, Siam Park, were recognized by TripAdvisor as the Best Zoo and Best Water Park in the World in 2017, an award that Siam Park received for the 4th year in a row.
A visit to the aquarium Poema del Mar involves discovering three different areas: surface marine ecosystems, deep marine ecosystems and fresh water species. Visitors start the tour by immersing into the ‘Jungle’ that recreates the landscapes and biodiversity of different parts of the world. The next area is the ‘Reef’, an enormous cylinder of 400.000 liters of water with a wide variety of colors created by fish and coral reefs. The ‘Deep Sea’ is the third area that culminates the tour of the aquarium with the largest curved window exposition in the world.
Poema del Mar will concentrate its efforts on the Atlantic marine conservation, in coordination with the Loro Parque Foundation, an organization with more than 20 years of experience, over 100 conservation projects in 30 countries worldwide, and total investment of 17,000,000 U.S. dollars to the conservation of the highly endangered species.
