Unlike what happened with many environmental reports against relevant projects for the Canary Islands, especially in Tenerife, the latest one on the intended port of Fonsalíain Isora Guidetogether with the expiration of the Environmental Impact Statement, strongly convinced DC in October 2021 to reject it.
Almost seamlessly, the party that, together with the PP, has most promoted large facilities conceived as pharaonic and “developmentalist” by many left-wing forces and environmental or citizen movements (many times, also by the PSOE), has been resounding since then. about this port due to its impact on cetaceans and other protected species, the high environmental value of the area and its “zero” viability.
This clearly contrasts with the position in favor of socialists such as Pedro Martín, spokesperson in the Cabildo and former island president, or the mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, whom the alternative left has always conceived as “developmentalists”, although they consider themselves They see themselves as quite the opposite, as defenders of progress properly understood. It also clashes with the vision of key PP leaders, such as Lope Afonso, vice president of Tenerife in agreement with CC, or the mayor of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Navarro, as confirmed to this newspaper.
The PP’s defense of this port has always been closely aligned with the conception of the president of the Construction Federation of the Province of Tenerife (Fepeco), Óscar Izquierdo, of this project and many others. However, the popular ones have had no problem in bypassing Fonsalía’s recent pacts with CC in the regional government, Cabildo, town council of Guía de Isora or Arona, although they do not hide their support for the infrastructure and their conviction that it can be develop and that continues to be decisive for the future of Tenerife and the Green Islands (La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma).
CC’s turn, on the contrary, is linked to the position against environmental movements and parties such as Podemos, NC, IU and others that, at least while they maintained representatives in the regional Parliament, Cabildo and city councils (in Adeje they still do so). ), were categorical about a port that they believe is absolutely unnecessary, beyond improving the conditions of Los Cristianos, especially its connection to the highway. They consider the port of Fonsalía to be part of an almost suicidal vision for the Island and very harmful to nature and the cetacean sanctuary that they have always held up as the best example of its perverse environmental effects, an argument to which the CC Political Council joined. in Tenerife in 2021.
Since then, the nationalists have advocated what the opposing voices have always said: “Seek urgent, real and definitive solutions to the collapse suffered by Los Cristianos”, apart from “optimizing the already existing port infrastructures, such as Granadilla, Santa Cruz and Los Cristianos”, although with respect to Granadilla the environmentalists and some parties do not stop remembering what they said decades ago and the final use of another infrastructure that they believe to be pharaonic, no matter how much its dimensions were reduced.
The president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, is “against reopening the Fonsalía project” and recalls that her party “already spoke out categorically against it in the last term and appealed to change the outlook on the natural heritage of the Island.” . Dávila highlights that “the west coast of the Island, and especially Fonsalía, has the largest whale sanctuary in Europe and one of the three largest in the world, along with South Africa and Australia.”
Along these same lines, the mayor of Guía de Isora, Ana Dorta, also from CC, highlights the importance of the expiration of the mandatory environmental report for construction. “After almost 20 years of waiting for the relevant authorization for this infrastructure, and this report having been negative,” he assures, “it is absurd to start from scratch again, taking into account, in addition, that there are other infrastructures, such as that of the port of Los Cristianos or Granadilla, which are not being optimized.” In her opinion, it is “essential that these two port infrastructures be developed now and the cetacean area in the vicinity of Fonsalía be defended.”
On the contrary, the voices in favor from the PSOE are equally forceful, although maintained over time and very far from that conservationist vision, although they emphasize that the project is one of the most studied. That continues to be, at least, the position of Pedro Martín, former island president, spokesperson in the Cabildo and senator after 23J. According to him, he remarks, “it is possibly the infrastructure project that has the most official studies and the one that has invested the most time of all administrations in recent decades in Tenerife.”
Martín remembers that “it was raised by the State, supported by the Government of the Canary Islands and defended by Adán Martín as president of the Cabildo, who later claimed and achieved that it was the responsibility of the Community.”
“THE BEST CONNECTION”
The former mayor of Guía de Isora from 1995 to 2019, who promoted this port convincingly, maintains that, “due to its location, it is the alternative with the best connection, especially between Tenerife and La Gomera, with savings in travel and costs.” considerable energy. This debate arose years ago when the need to expand Los Cristianos was seen and its neighbors opposed it. The impossibility was reinforced by the current impediment to expanding it, since the maritime area in which it is limited is a protected area.”
Regarding the solution now promoted by CC of a tunnel for the exit of vehicles from Los Cristianos, he assures that “it would involve expropriations of nearby buildings and, adding its cost and the work, the expense would be similar to a new port.”
However, he is pessimistic about any alternative because he doubts that “an adequate solution will come forward either in Fonsalía or elsewhere. There is no interest in finding a definitive solution, wherever it may be, and I believe that we will continue with the precarious conditions of Los Cristianos for a long time.”
Another clear and favorable voice has always been that of the mayor of Adeje, who insists that “I believe in Fonsalía, because I conceive it as a port that has been consolidated as a solution for communication with La Gomera and for the relief of Los Cristianos. . I don’t really understand the changes of opinion because that is the way of not moving projects forward, by continually debating them, while the problems continue and continue to grow.”
Who also believes is Lope Afonso (PP). As he points out, “my party has always maintained a favorable historical position, since it would solve the serious and patent problem of mobility between the Green Islands and Tenerife. In addition, it would requalify the southwest of Tenerife for tourism.”
In his opinion, “before rejecting it, there should be alternatives, but, until now, we do not know of any. When this debate arose in the last mandate, it was agreed that the Government of the Canary Islands would carry out a study of alternatives that would hire it in that legislature to analyze the best one, but none are known, so we advocate knowing them and that they also help decongest Los Cristianos.”
Afonso maintains that his party “is aware of the environmental sensitivity of this area of our coastline, as well as the importance for our tourist destination of preserving whale watching. But, to definitively rule out Fonsalía, these alternatives should be available.”
In an almost identical line, Emilio Navarro appears, who assures that this is a “clear and necessary commitment on the part of the PP for Tenerife and the Green Islands. His objective, too, was to download Los Cristianos, but more for the land part, although there is an investment for this. Arona must make it clear what it wants, since they were looking for a marina because 12,000 boats pass through the Canary Islands a year, tourism that must be taken advantage of, which is why I continue to believe Fonsalía is necessary.”
“The nonsense of the change has been that of CC,” he adds, “which opted for Fonsalía, spent a lot on the projects and, when they joined the opposition, they became opponents.” Of course, it ensures that the CC-PP pacts are not jeopardized by this.
Valbuena, the most critical voice of the PSOE, maintains that it is “unnecessary” and that it would cause “an ecological catastrophe”
In the Parliament of the Canary Islands, CC’s turn contrasts with the conviction of the PP, the usual position of Vox on these projects, the always staunch defense of Casimiro Curbelo (ASG) and, now, the support of AHI, at least while The one in Los Cristianos is not improved, although its president, Javier Armas, believes that the one in Granadilla can also be explored. NC rejects it, asking to take advantage of these two infrastructures and enhance the port of Garachico, according to Valentín Correa.
On the contrary, there is a clear ambivalence in the PSOE, since its parliamentary group knows of the party’s closed support in the South, but there are also very critical voices, such as that of the former Minister of Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena.
The current senator believes it “unnecessary. Furthermore, it generates several problems, because what it aims to solve does not require such a port, apart from the fact that, since the first ideas appear until now, the level of knowledge of the corridor between Tenerife and La Gomera, from the point of view of the riches of its biodiversity, has increased considerably. A port that would significantly intensify maritime traffic through this highly sensitive area would be a true catastrophe. The impact report, made with legislation prior to 21/2013, is expired and, honestly, it would be very difficult for a project of this magnitude to obtain a favorable declaration. In fact, the previous one was already full of conditions, some of which were impossible to meet. Now, the legislation is more demanding and the time of large ports in the Canary Islands is behind us because there is no longer the same investment capacity but, above all, due to environmental and sustainability issues. “A port like this has no place in the Canary Islands of the 21st century.”
