The Friends of Nature associations for the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Canary Islands and Tenerife have requested the Teide cable car dismantlingeradicate the mouflon within three years and ban sports events with more than 50 participants in the National Park.
Both associations have jointly submitted allegations to the draft of the new Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG) of Teide National Park that, according to a statement sent to EFE, they generally consider “an important improvement” in the objective of conserving the natural heritage of this protected area.
Faced with the campaign unleashed by some political parties and various associations or entities, public and private, who want to turn this space “into a theme park” with activities that are incompatible with its conservation, both entities are of the opinion that the regulations contemplated in the project that limit the recreational and tourist uses of the Park “are on the right track”.
However, both the Association for the Conservation of Canarian Biodiversity (ACBC) and the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature (ATAN) consider them insufficient and have therefore presented allegations “that contribute to improve the conservation of this world heritage for future generations.”
Among others, these are the points that ACBC and ATAN consider to be of greatest interest in the allegations are, in relation to facilities and specifically regarding the cable car, which is a activity incompatible with the objectives of the National Park.
For this reason they propose that no new installation be allowed and, on the contrary, ask that the company that owns the cable car draw up a progressive dismantling plan before the prompt termination of the concession or before, if the Council of Tenerife so decided, prior acquisition of the majority shareholding by the insular corporation.
traditional uses
Regarding traditional uses, both associations believe that beekeeping is key and they specify that the studies carried out reveal that bees, as invasive exotic species, displace natural pollinators, while negatively affecting the reproductive processes of high mountain plants. For this reason, they claim in their allegations that the transhumance of beehives be prohibited inside the National Park.
Regarding sports events inside the Parkthey should be considered “clearly incompatible and no test with more than 50 participants should be authorized”, maintain ACBC and ATAN.
In the area of Portillo Alto, the progressive recovery and naturalization of this space and, in no case, will it be used to install infrastructure related to the mobility system, they add.
They also point out that one of the great conservation problems of the National Park is that of the invasive species and they propose that the control tasks be based on scientific data, supervised by the managing administration, and carried out primarily by specialized personnel.
Specifically, regarding the rabbitdemand that its control be carried out to reduce the populations as much as possible, without setting a maximum acceptable value and, in relation to the mouflon, ACBC and ATAN maintain that it must be eradicated on the island within a period not exceeding three years.
