The LIFE+ INDEMARES project coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment has made it possible to expand knowledge about the Banco de la Concepción, a place of unusually high biological wealth and great diversity, almost completely unknown previously due to its relative remoteness, as well as its high depth, which make research tasks in this area difficult.
 
The Banco de la Concepción is an underwater mountain located 75 kilometres north-east of the island of Lanzarote, which rises in the middle of an extensive abyssal plain with low productivity, which represents a true underwater oasis. It is a building of volcanic origin that emerges from a depth of 2,700 meters, reaching 158 meters below sea level.
 
Through the research carried out, it has been proven that it has a great variety of communities, among other reasons, due to the wide range of depth it covers, and its orographic complexity. Of the total of 13 different communities identified, 9 are included within the category defined as “Reefs”. The main characteristics that make these habitats more relevant in terms of conservation are the ability to form complex three-dimensional structures, which serve as shelter and support for other organisms, in addition to the high degree of vulnerability of the species that make them up.

So far, 498 different species have been catalogued, a relatively low number compared to more studied areas, with corals and sponges being the groups that are most important in conservation, as they include numerous species of a vulnerable nature. Of the discoveries made in this area, a species new to science of the genus Isozoanthus stands out for its scientific interest, parasitizing the gorgonian Candidella imbricata, which for the moment has only been found in this area. Likewise, 5 species of fish have been found that are new dates for Canary Islands waters, along with numerous fossil remains of sharks and mermaids that are already extinct.

Cetaceans are an important group, with 9 species present out of the 30 that are cited for the Canary Islands. Among the birds, several species of procellariformes (petrels, shearwaters and storm petrels) stand out, one of the most endangered groups of birds on the planet, which find an important feeding area in the Banco de la Concepción.

Given the distance that separates the bank from the islands, human activity on the Concepción bank is practically restricted to maritime traffic and fishing not linked to the bottom, mainly for the capture of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and small pelagics, so no severe alterations of the ecosystems have been detected.

With the proposal for a Site of Community Importance (SCI) and a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), an area of more than 610,000 hectares is protected thanks to the results of the LIFE+ INDEMARES project. The monitoring of this area will provide an unparalleled framework for the description of the evolution of habitats and species sensitive to protection, combined with certain local economic activities.