SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 1st May (EUROPA PRESS) –
Más Canarias and Recortes Cero have officially lodged 47,665 signatures at the Canary Islands Parliament opposing the development of the La Pavona ‘ecoresort’ project in La Palma.
Submitting the signatures marks a significant milestone in the campaign against what is deemed “ecocide” due to the environmental and social impacts of this project, as stated in a release.
Attorney and secretary of Más Canarias, Florisela Rodríguez, mentions that “it is time for the incumbent Government to heed the sentiments of citizens against this form of exploitative tourism.”
The parties decry that “a ‘megaresort’ spanning over a million square meters, equivalent to 141 football pitches, is planned to encroach on areas within the Natura 2000 Network and will feature an 18-hole golf course marketed as eco-friendly.”
Angustias Rodríguez (Cuts Zero) highlights that “in a scenario of severe housing shortage, water scarcity, and endangerment of the natural heritage due to numerous tourist developments, the time to halt is now.”
Meanwhile, the general coordinator of Más Canarias, Javier Lasso, argues that “a tourism framework witnessing a twofold rise in visitor numbers since 2009 resulting in almost ten percent loss in purchasing power is a flawed and short-sighted approach.”
The proponents of the petition, who have criticised the Minister of Ecological Transition, Mariano Hernández Zapata, for championing the project’s classification as of island interest during his tenure as president of the Cabildo, have sought a meeting with the Canary Islands Government to convey the project’s “insurmountable points.”
“The nearly 50,000 dissenting signatures against the megaresort underscore the imperative for the transformation that our Canary Islands demand, the Government must convene and listen promptly,” affirms Florisela Rodríguez.
