The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila (Canarian Coalition), stated this Wednesday that “discussions are still ongoing” with the Government of the Canary Islands regarding the final iteration of the Master Plan for the Use and Management of the Teide National Park (PRUG). These collaborative amendments are currently being refined, and once integrated into the document, will be presented to the Board of Trustees of the National Park for subsequent approval.
The PRUG document presented in March 2022 sparked significant controversy due to the backlash it faced from various sectors and even within the Cabildo Government team, previously led by Pedro Martín (PSOE). The plan, advocated by the then Minister of Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena, included numerous disputed points surrounding issues such as traffic control, parking, and restrictions on certain activities like audiovisual filming, sports events, or beekeeping. The objective, as per the Canarian Government at that time, was to safeguard the National Park while simultaneously enlarging the number of visitors permitted to access the Teide summit without increasing surveillance. At that time, the CC referred to it as an “atrocity” and demanded its retraction, a sentiment shared by the PP. Conversely, Podemos and Nueva Canarias also expressed concerns regarding the document, claiming it failed to offer “effective solutions related to resources and personnel” for its conservation and safeguarding.
In light of the multitude of objections raised, the Canarian Government was compelled to extend the public consultation phase.
Dávila has now clarified that the new Cabildo government team had “disagreements” regarding the former PRUG document and observed that “now we are focused on smoothing out discrepancies or aspects where there was a lack of consensus concerning that document, which was initiated by the previous administration of both the regional government and the Cabildo,” stated the island president during a press briefing based on governmental council agreements.
“All this effort,” assured the island president, has been developed incrementally in recent months, and when “an agreement is reached on the document,” it will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees of the Teide National Park for eventual approval by the Government of the Canary Islands.
He exemplified the discussions with matters incorporated in the previous document, such as one that “strictly prohibited the filming of advertisements and movies within the Park that were not aimed at its promotion for scientific purposes”: “We and the current Government of the Canary Islands did not concur with that. Therefore, we need to rephrase it and delineate how and to what extent this activity can occur.”
“There are numerous points that have been addressed to achieve a consensual text, which in no way jeopardises the conservation and protection of the Park,” concluded Dávila, who, although she has not set specific timelines, affirmed that we are already “in the final stretch.”
