All the political groups represented in the Natural Environment Commission of the Tenerife Island Council have rejected a proposal in which the non-ascribed councillor María José Belda called for a ban on filming on Teide. The island’s government referred to the Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG), currently being drawn up, which will regulate all activities to be carried out in the Teide National Park.
Belda considered that “old politics continues to be an imperative” in the Island Corporation, and assured that none of the groups present “are concerned with looking after this unique site”. “In short, we continue with the National Park unprotected, with only four environmental rangers and at the disposal of the production companies so that they can continue to use it as a film set,” Belda lamented.
In her opinion, it is wrong to “skimp” when it comes to protecting an area considered a National Park and World Heritage Site, and he understands that it is a “possible negligence” that the councillor for the area, Isabel García, defended in the commission that so far no filming has caused irreversible damage, but has recognised, according to Belda, that it was a mistake that permits have been given to carry out several at the same time.
According to the information provided by the non-ascribed councillor, Isabel García stated that the solution is to limit access to private vehicles when filming is taking place in order to favour the proper functioning and management of the National Park.
The councillor also highlighted as an achievement the fact that the Guardia Civil already has a detachment in this area, but María José Belda recalled that there is no presence of the Canary Islands Police or the Local Police in the National Park. Belda believes that “we must ensure protection and stop lamenting the consequences of not doing so; we have already experienced this recently with the Cuna del Alma hotel project. It is necessary to put in place all the necessary measures to ensure that this emblematic space is preserved and stop putting the economic interests of the audiovisual sector before protection”, adds the non-ascribed councillor.
Referring to the amendment to her motion tabled by the Sí Podemos Canarias group in the Cabildo, Belda considers that it was “a stopgap” as it conditioned the authorisation of filming to the provisions of a Plan Rector de Uso y Gestión (PRUG) of the Teide National Park “which has not been implemented”.
