– GREENPEACE
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 17 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Greenpeace has welcomed the “halt” to the Underwater Gardens theme park project in Punta Blanca (Tenerife) following the Cabildo’s denial of the Declaration of Insular Interest.
The project, originally promoted by Underwater Gardens International, S.L., was declared of insular interest by the Cabildo’s Plenary Assembly on 25 February 2022, a declaration which Greenpeace believes was not fully justified.
The organisation states that although this announcement is “not definitive”, it should lead to the complete withdrawal of any attempts to transform Punta Blanca and the ZEC Franja Marina Teno-Rasca into a new tourist attraction disguised as a regenerative park, which would further strain the already beleaguered environment of the island’s southwestern coast.
Greenpeace is aligned with the platform Save Punta Blanca, which it is part of, in celebrating this “great step”, hoping it signifies the preservation of one of the last undeveloped areas along that coastline.
The organisation also highlights the “tireless civic struggle” that has undoubtedly influenced the Cabildo’s decision.
Threats to Biodiversity
The Underwater Gardens project is just one of several, alongside others like Cuna del Alma in Adeje and those at Montaña de Guaza, which “threaten” the island’s southwestern region. This area is essential for its significant biological and geological relevance within the Canary Islands and the broader European Union.
“We are experiencing an unprecedented loss of biodiversity, which poses a threat comparable to climate change. In light of this situation, we cannot allow projects like Underwater Gardens to jeopardise the integrity of protected natural spaces for the benefit of certain businesses or sectors. Our lives and the planet’s future are at stake,” declared Kilian López, spokesperson for Greenpeace in the Canary Islands.
Concerns Over Coastal Impact
Greenpeace also points out that the theme park project in Punta Blanca includes a request to occupy 11,691 square metres of Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain within the ZEC Franja Marina Teno-Rasca, which would further increase human pressure on one of Europe’s best cetacean sanctuaries.
In this context, the organisation has urged the Coastal Authority to reject the request put forward by Underwater Gardens International, S.L., under the European Ocean Citizen project.
