SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, May 22. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Canary Islands Coalition (CC) of Tenerife has demanded this Monday from the Government of the Canary Islands that the Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG) of the Teide National Park not be approved by a government in office and that it be the new regional Executive who drafts a document “with the consensus of civil society and the groups that use Teide”.
The candidate for the presidency of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, and the insular secretary general of CC Tenerife and candidate for mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares, offered a press conference at the Mirador de Humboldt accompanied by members of their candidacies and representatives of groups that carry out their activities on Teide and expressed their “concern” at the possibility that the Government of the Canary Islands approve the document as of May 28 and before the new Executive is constituted.
“What has happened to the Master Plan for the Use and Management of Teide that the Government of the Canary Islands has made and, above all, what can happen? A few months ago we put on the table the uncertainty and concern of many groups that represent society of Tenerife on the situation of Teide. We are a week away from the elections and the rumor that reaches us is disturbing that there is an intention to approve it before the term ends. We do not want to think that this is the case because if it happens, society Tenerife is going to stand against a wrong political decision,” said Francisco Linares.
Rosa Dávila pointed out that they are giving a “direct and clear warning” to the Canarian president, Ángel Víctor Torres, and to the PSOE.
“The elections are on May 28 and the Government of the Canary Islands will continue in office for almost another month and a half, but we are not going to allow the Master Plan for the Use and Management of the Teide National Park to be approved without having opened a dialogue with the collectives and civil society in Tenerife”, he pointed out in a note sent by CC.
Dávila explained that “almost a year ago they released a PRUG without the consensus or transparency that the Teide National Park deserves” and Tenerife society had to be mobilized “to stop an aberration”.
“The mayor who had the courage to do so was Francisco Linares. He stood up on behalf of all the mayors and society in Tenerife against a PRUG that was stealing Teide from the people of Tenerife, a document that was born without consensus or dialogue with the people and groups such as beekeepers, hikers, mountaineers, athletes, the audiovisual sector, tourism, or astrophotography, among others, who use and enjoy Teide,” he said.
LACK OF CONSENSUS WITH GROUPS
Francisco Linares pointed out the importance of having different groups, such as the Don Víctor Association, which represents the neighborhood associations of all the highlands of La Orotava, or the Association of Beekeepers of Tenerife (Apiten), to name a few examples.
Not surprisingly, the PRUG goes from 2,700 to 1,200 and forces the removal of part of the hives that have traditionally been on Teide.
“We are opposed to that. What’s more, we think that it should be increased to 3,000 beehives, which means having 15 beehives for every square kilometer,” Linares said.
SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL AT THE ACCESSES
Francisco Linares also stressed the surveillance of the Teide National Park.
“The Cabildo, governed by the PSOE, threw more than 30 workers out on the streets and has not replaced them. The park has significant surveillance deficiencies and no one from the Cabildo governed by the socialists has worried about that. We will be vigilant, but all of Tenerife’s civil society is also worried about what could happen in the coming weeks,” he said.
He also denounced the attempt to build three large infrastructures in the Teide National Park, one in La Orotava, another in Vilaflor and another in Chío.
“It is inadmissible that they want to build these car parks, which look more like a shopping center, in the Teide National Park. There are many allegations against this,” he stressed.
In addition, the insular secretary general of CC Tenerife indicated that there is another issue that “worries a lot” and that is the access to the Teide National Park.
“Interestingly, the PRUG says that this issue is based on the Mobility Plan that the Teide National Park has. And that Mobility Plan is not known to anyone. None of the 14 mayors of the adjoining municipalities are aware of the Teide Mobility Plan There was a failed meeting three months ago and we have not heard anything else,” he said.
REOPENING OF THE ALTAVISTA SHELTER
CC de Tenerife also considers the reopening of the Altavista Refuge, located in the Teide National Park, to offer first aid services to hikers and visitors and carry out collaborative work with the rest of the security and emergency forces as a priority objective.
In this regard, Rosa Dávila pointed out that “the Altavista Refuge has been closed since November 2020 without a solution being sought, one more example of the lack of management and interest on the part of the PSOE and Pedro Martín, who in three years has not been able to do anything.”
For the nationalists it is a “priority” to have this facility and for this reason they believe that a modern, sustainable and environmentally friendly project will have to be made.
“You have to study to see if a temporary opening is possible, but it is clear that we need a new infrastructure and we will work on that from day one,” he said.
Francisco Linares also showed his concern for waste and is committed to having a plan for the collection of solid waste on the island. “It is inadmissible that it is the City Council of La Orotava that collects solid waste and that the PRUG does not collect this insular waste plan,” he stressed.
