Environmentalists within the Canary Islands are sounding the alarm over the injury tourism is doing in Teide Nationwide Park, house to Spain’s highest peak.
Jaime Coello Bravo, director of the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Basis, referred to as out the Tenerife Island Council for selling what he described because the “massification and destruction” of the park, which can be a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.
In a put up shared on social media on 13 April, Bravo stated the park “hurts” from the variety of vacationers trudging over its landscapes. He additionally shared photographs and movies of holiday makers straying off designated trails and climbing volcanic rock formations.
“If that is the crown jewel [of Tenerife’s natural sites]. How will the opposite areas be? We all know as a result of most are equal or worse,” he wrote. “It’s a scandal and a disgrace the shortage of response, inaction and complicity with an unsustainable scenario.”
Teide Nationwide Park welcomes over 3 million guests a yr
Positioned within the centre of Tenerife, Teide Nationwide Park surrounds the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano, which rises 3,718 metres above sea stage and presents sweeping views of the environment. These views, the putting volcanic landscapes and the distinctive wildlife such because the Tenerife lizard entice about three million guests annually.
In line with the native tourism board, the park is probably the most visited nationwide park in Europe. However its recognition is placing stress on a fragile ecosystem.
Bravo’s photographs confirmed a crowded automobile park, vacationers clambering over volcanic rocks and one lady showing to gather stones from a restricted space.
“The overcrowding of autos is indescribable,” he stated.
A brand new reservation system goals to cut back overcrowding
Simply days earlier than Bravo’s posts, the Cabildo de Tenerife (Island Council of Tenerife) revealed a brand new on-line reservation system geared toward controlling entry to extra superior trails throughout the park.
The brand new system would require guests to register on-line earlier than making an attempt sure mountain climbing routes, together with the paths that result in the summit of the stratovolcano.
Entry will solely be granted to authorised tourism professionals and mountain federations with correct permits and security tools.
The aim, in line with officers, is to “protect the pure setting and management the inflow of individuals”.
Can Europe’s pure landmarks deal with mass tourism?
The scenario in Tenerife echoes considerations raised in different elements of Europe, the place native ecosystems are beneath pressure from excessive customer numbers – and native populations have generally lashed out in response to them.
In Italy, officers in Venice have launched – and now doubled – an entry payment forday-trippers to ease overcrowding within the historic metropolis, whereas the island ofSardinia has begun banning seashore towels and requiring superior bookings to go to sure seashores.
Residents in in style journey locations, from Amsterdam to Santorini, are more and more pushing again in opposition to the destructive results of tourism. In early April, residents throughout Spain stagedprotests in opposition to mass tourism, lower than a yr afterBarcelona residents sprayed vacationers with water weapons and shouted “vacationers go house”.
Tenerife has seen its personal blunt response to mass tourism, too.
Final April, demonstrators in Tenerife organised a starvation strike over resort developments. Some locals stated they had been sleeping in automobiles or caves as a result of they couldn’t afford housing on the island.
Now, the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Basis is urging the federal government to take stronger motion to guard Teide and different pure areas throughout the Canary Islands.
With summer time approaching, indicators level to a different tense season as Spain grapples with how – and what number of – folks ought to expertise its pure wonders.