Canaria Accuses Cabildo President of Double Standards
Canarias Tiene un Límite, an environmental platform, has accused Rosa Dávila, President of the Cabildo de Tenerife, of engaging in a “double game.” This accusation follows the insular institution’s withdrawal of the declaration of Insular Interest for the Underwater Gardens mega-project. The platform claims that, at the same time, the Cabildo is processing a new theme park project featuring artificial waves in the south of the island.
New Project vs. Underwater Gardens
The project, named WaveGarden, is proposed to be located opposite La Tejita beach in Granadilla de Abona. According to the organisation, it would be situated on “agricultural land and in an area deemed to possess high landscape and sporting value.” They have called on the Cabildo to “deny any declaration of Insular Interest or administrative authorisation related to this initiative.”
Concerns Over Tourism Exploitation
The platform contends that this case follows a similar pattern to that of Underwater Gardens, warning that the southwest of Tenerife “continues to face projects” perceived as a response to “the over-exploitation of coastal tourism.” In this context, it demands “a genuine tourist moratorium to halt the construction of hotels, accommodation and similar infrastructure along the Canary coast.” The collective also noted that Wavegarden technology has already encountered “resistance in other regions of Spain.”
They referenced the situation in Antondegi, Donostia, where the local council “dismissed the installation of a wave park in 2024 due to public and environmental opposition.” Other examples include Montgat in Barcelona, where the project “was cancelled by the company following a lack of agreement with the council,” and El Prat del Llobregat, which also “abandoned a proposed site.”
Cabildo Responds
In response to these reports, the Cabildo de Tenerife issued a statement, which Atlántico Hoy has accessed, denying the supposed construction of an artificial wave theme park on the island. The insular institution maintains that “as of today, there is no record in the administration of any file or request related to such a space.” Additionally, the Cabildo asserts that it “will continue to act transparently,” and any future initiatives “will be subjected to the necessary legal procedures, as well as the required technical and environmental reports.”
