eos . Thus, when tourism was still an embryonic activity, the island knew acquire a network of centers in which art and nature are fused to entice foreign visitors. All this generated between Lanzarote environmental awareness to the island earned her the title of Biosphere Reserve , awarded by Unesco in 1993 .
Another key point in recent decades is the rapid decline of the fishing industry that, in the early 70s, was central to the economy of the island, from today to a very secondary. The occupation of the former Spanish colony of Western Saharaby Morocco , in 1975 , resulted in the loss of traditional fishing grounds where the powerful fleet fished the island, without the maintenance of good relations with Mauritania compensase enough loss North Saharan bank access. Thus, since the mid- 70s can appreciate the gradual decline of traditional primary sectors of the island's economy, giving way to the hegemony of tourism and associated activities ( construction , trade , catering , etc.).
All these changes coincided in time with the last years of the Franco dictatorship and the recovery process of political freedoms that come to Spain after the transition , creating a framework of democracy and autonomy for the Canary Islands .
Lanzarote today
Despite the environmental awareness of the islanders, some aspects of the development model and environmentally unsustainable implanted in other destinations began to be noticed in Lanzarote since the late 80s. Before his death in 1992, the very Manrique had been placed at the forefront of protests against mass tourism and urban mistakes, becoming a symbol of the defense of the territory and the nature of Canary . Lanzarote lived most popular event in its history on 27 septimbre 2002, under the slogan "No to the destruction of the island." Yet tourism growth has remained constant over the last few years, from the island of 50,000 hotel rooms in 2001 to over
