“No case.” This is what the four organisations in Santa Cruz de Tenerife assert, reporting that last Tuesday, they submitted an urgent letter to the town hall of the capital addressed to the mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez (CC). They are urging the implementation of measures to safeguard the city’s trees located in the carnival areas. With the expected rain from this Friday night, including possible Dana conditions, and the Carnival festivities continuing into Saturday morning (March 8), they anticipate that festivities will attract hundreds of thousands of attendees. The groups, including Trees Speak, Initiatives.10, The Tree Table, and Toscal of the Tribulations, expressed their disappointment this morning to the Canary Islands Now, indicating that the administration led by CC and PP has made a “complete dismissal” of their concerns and alerts. Consequently, they are apprehensive about the potential risks to significant tree specimens throughout this lengthy week.
The organisations criticise the lack of protective measures, highlighting that, in fact, palm trees are being utilised in the Plaza de la Candelaria to support one of the large stages of the Chicharrero Carnival. They fear that many important and mature specimens, along with those listed in the municipality’s unique tree catalogue situated at the heart of the festivities and surrounding areas, will suffer as a consequence of past years when no protective measures, such as barriers and other safeguarding tools, were implemented. Their main concern lies with the species located in the “quadrilateral” area of the Carnival, encompassing iconic spots like the prince’s square, Isabel II square, and the church of San Francisco, in addition to numerous streets in the vicinity that become crowded at night, particularly on peak days (the two Fridays, two Saturdays, and Monday). They specifically highlight the adverse effects of urine and cleaning substances, which are applied throughout the year but escalate during these celebrations, warning that “these should not harm the trees or end up in the tree pits.”
The groups specifically reference the Baobab and Buddhist pine on El Pilar street, the numerous laurels in the Plaza del Príncipe, the Ceiba on Calle del Castillo, and the two Tulip Trees on Robayna Street. They believe that there is a clear “negligence in the upkeep of our plant heritage.”
Although their calls for preparation and protection ahead of the festivities have gone unheard, they stress the importance of the city council utilising “ecological and safe” cleaning products not just during these events but throughout the entire year, to avoid causing harm to people’s health as well as to the plants and trees. “Many trees are drying out and dying because these chemicals end up in the tree pits and are absorbed by their roots,” they caution. Nonetheless, they are concerned that their calls for protection for this upcoming intensive week may again be ignored.
In their efforts to preserve the municipality’s green spaces, one of the largest in Spain and renowned for its high quality of life, these organisations emphasise that “we cannot afford to lose any more trees because the City Council fails to take necessary measures for their protection.” Furthermore, they predict and criticise that the local government may “use the excuse that the trees are diseased to justify cutting them down months after the carnival due to damage inflicted by human urine and the toxicity of the cleaning chemicals employed in the streets, roads, squares, and parks of Santa Cruz.”
The groups also find it contradictory that during the 2024 edition, substantial fines will be imposed (although only one was issued previously) on individuals who urinate in public during the carnival while appropriate and effective measures to protect the trees and green spaces are lacking.
