The platform change.org has become the channel for a citizen petition that has already surpassed 5,500 signatures, requesting the removal of concrete structures being built in the cove of Tacorón, located in the El Hierro municipality of El Pinar.
The proponents of the initiative detail that the City Council has promoted the installation of 80 cement-framed loungers and their corresponding umbrellas, occupying land considered protected and free from construction.
According to the proponents, during the construction work, lava fields are being destroyed and gravel is being dumped on the sand to create paths. This coastal area is part of the ZEPA (Special Protection Area for Birds) El Hierro, and a colony of Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) nests on the Tacorón platform, which could be affected during their breeding season.
Furthermore, they state that the habitat of the protected fern Ophioglossum polyphyllum, which finds one of its last refuges on the island in this plain, is being altered.
Given these "severe environmental impacts," the signatories demand an immediate suspension of the works, arguing that they should be limited to repairing existing facilities, such as picnic areas, parking lots, and the natural pool's solarium.
Opponents of the construction consider that a "symbol" of the island of El Hierro, an enclave of extraordinary geological and landscape value, is being destroyed. The massive installation of cement loungers is described as an "aggressive and disrespectful occupation" that degrades the harmony of the landscape.
They emphasize that turning a pristine volcanic coastline into an area for intensive tourist use, with infrastructure that visually and symbolically impacts the environment, represents a loss of environmental quality and territorial identity. They point out that this intervention is "completely out of place" on an island designated as a 'Geopark' and 'Biosphere Reserve'.
Therefore, they call for coherence between the decisions of political and institutional authorities and the island's sustainability model. "Defending Tacorón is defending the soul of El Hierro," they conclude, warning that the imposition of cement over geology not only erodes the landscape but also impoverishes life.
