The Port Authority of Castellón has approved the extension of the collaboration agreement for the use of the building housing the Columbretes Islands lighthouse until 2029. This agreement allows the lighthouse to be used for surveillance, control, monitoring, and scientific research tasks of this marine reserve, without prejudice to its primary function as maritime signaling. “The Columbretes lighthouse not only guides vessels, it is also a privileged observation point at the service of science and environmental conservation,” emphasized the president of the Port Authority of Castellón, Rubén Ibáñez.
The agreement now being extended allows the building to be jointly used by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Generalitat to carry out environmental research and monitoring actions. The Columbretes Island lighthouse is located at the top of l’Illa Grossa, the largest island in the archipelago. It began operation on December 30, 1859, with the aim of signaling an area particularly hazardous for navigation due to its volcanic outcrops and isolation. Today, its walls no longer house lighthouse keepers, but rather technical equipment, researchers, and conservationists working to protect one of the most valuable enclaves on the Spanish coast.
