Tenerife is looking for J Quiles to sanction him for his concert on La Tejita beach

In a first balance, the “recurring” misuses in these areas of Tenerife originated last year 695 infractions, registered by the Security area. The figure is somewhat less than the 762 files for the 2021 financial year, but perhaps there will be more spectacular and high-profile cases in 2022. Take the impromptu concert in the protected space of La Tejita as an example. But it was not the only one.

A little before this episode, on July 1, 2022, it was known that an advertisement for Asics, a sports shoe company, had been made within the Chinyero Volcano Nature Reserve, in Santiago del Teide. A space of great fragility where it is prohibited to transit. The resolution of this file is very close. It only remains to confirm it in the Island Government Council to enforce a fine with several zeros, without specifying the figure.

Abandoned plastic beacons after a race in Anaga, cycling through prohibited paths in the aforementioned Chinyero Nature Reserve, tents for camping or even enjoying a steak in the Teide National Park are some of the infractions.

Among the most recent actions is a graffiti on path 39, denounced on January 4, or the event that occurred on the 9th of this month with motorcycle traffic through a protected place within, once again, the Teide National Park in what supposed “a new ecological attack”.

The Island Councilor for the Natural Environment and Security, Isabel García, considers that this It is “a pending issue in Tenerife”. He points out in this regard that “we have instructions from the president, Peter Martinto deal with the problem.” To do this, he explains, “the bases are practically completed to carry out an opposition contest and reinforce the staff of environmental agents.” In addition, he stresses, “an official has been designated to be specifically dedicated to managing files and sanctions.”

García points out that “it is always very negative that these circumstances occur, but even more so when they have a great media echo, especially on social networks, because it is amplified by thousands of people.” Given this, It is “very difficult” to raise awareness about the need to do things well. That is why he emphasizes actions such as the impromptu concert by Quiles or the announcement of the sports shoe company. “They hurt,” says the counselor, “even if they don’t see it that way.” She summarizes: “An uninformed person is not the same as a company that has to know how and where to act.”

media campaign

The Natural Environment and Security area activated a campaign in the media to raise awareness about not entering spaces where it is prohibited to do so to guarantee their conservation. For everyone, because the residents also carry out acts full of irresponsibility.

With the motto “the natural thing is to do it well”, the message insists that “following the path is the only way to preserve the biodiversity of Tenerife”. He recalls that “getting off the road on foot, by bike or with a vehicle is not only leaving a mark, but also attacking nature. Your decisions count.”

The counselor García appreciates the usefulness of the tool that the recent digital platform Tenerife On represents when it comes to helping to know where you can travel and where not. It is a virtual guide to 173 trails in Tenerife, many of them in protected natural areas.

The data

The 2022 balance specifies the files opened in natural spaces (205), in terms of forest services (149), in terms of conservation and management in the Teide National Park (50), in terms of hunting (60) or in those environmental offenses that are the responsibility of other administrations (232).

The total of 695 files represents a decrease compared to those registered during 2021, but the truth is that they had less media coverage. Precisely in 2021, three cases of camping without authorization and 118 cases of activity without authorization were filed in the Teide National Park. Last year there were 50.

Whistleblowers

The groups from Tenerife that defend the preservation of nature they almost cannot cope with their complaints. For example, Imakal, who published the video of the motorcycles inside the National Park. They value that “actions like this highlight the urgent need to take immediate measures, given the impunity with which visitors act in a protected space with such relevance as the National Park.”

They understand that “agents cannot be duplicated” and consider that “more staff” needed. In addition, they call for greater environmental education “to disseminate knowledge of our values, respect and coexistence with our natural environment.”

For its part, the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Foundation and its parallel initiative Pasa sin Huella stresses: “Every day we receive testimonies that the Park is in an unsustainable situation. Protection, the European diploma and being a Natural Heritage of Humanity are of no use if sufficient material and personal resources are not allocated to monitor and preserve it”. He adds that “he Government of the Canary Islands is responsible for not summoning new agent positions for Teide and the Cabildo de Tenerife by omission, by not claiming them insistently». Meanwhile, “the Park is deteriorating more and more.” Regarding the incident of the motorcycles in the San José Mines, they also criticize that “apart from the motorcycles, you can see a real pilgrimage with people walking everywhere out of the way.”

The Foundation ends by demanding the urgent approval of a Master Plan for the Use and Management (PRUG) of the Teide National Park “that preserves its integrity and does not let time pass so as not to assume the electoral cost. If they want it to continue to be real and not a theme park ».