«There will be no Governing Plan for the Use and Management (PRUG) of the Teide National Park whitout deal». She assured it in her appearance before the Parliament of the Canary Islands the Ecological Transition counselor of the regional government, Jose Antonio Valbuena. In addition, it gave guarantees that there will be “consensus” with the groups and agents involved in the regulations on the protected natural area that emanates from this document. Today it is a draft in public exhibition to which allegations can be presented until July 22. The counselor even promised to withdraw it if that understanding is not reached.
Valbuena took the opportunity to denounce “the accumulation of lies” of CC-PNC and PP about prohibitions on Teide that are not in the PRUG. The spokespersons for the two opposition groups, Rosa Dávila and Luz Reverón, respectively, have asked him to withdraw the document and propose “an agreement from scratch.” Both raised the need for consensus and to combine protection with a regulation that allows “enjoying Teide”.
Valbuena recalled that the Teide Plan started in 2018 and that throughout its processing neither the municipalities of La Orotava (CC-PNC) nor Los Realejos (PP) “raised any objection and even praised it.” Until the public participation process began at the end of May “and they have used the reasonable concerns of some groups to spread falsehoods.”
The counselor denied that access to Teide will be prohibited or that visits will be charged, that it cannot be run or that tombstones will be built within the National Park. “Another thing is the Cabildo Mobility Plan,” Valbuena explained, “but there is still a long way to go before it is approved.”
He alluded to “the concerns of those affected”, such as mountaineers, athletes, beekeepers or the audiovisual sector, who will have “answers to their demands”, because “our premise is active listening” and “protect and regulate in a consensual way”. The only prohibitions are those necessary to preserve the landscape, flora, fauna, water, soil, and cultural, archaeological, and geomorphological heritage, he assured.
