The mayor of Guía de Isora, Ana Dorta, has celebrated the halt of the business project 'Underwater Gardens', an initiative to develop a regenerative park in Punta Blanca, within the Teno-Rasca Special Conservation Area. The Tenerife Island Council has announced it will revoke the declaration of insular interest that allowed its progress.
Dorta described the project as having been developed 'behind citizens' backs' and argued that any future initiative in the area must have explicit resident support. According to the mayor, upon taking office in 2023, she encountered a project that did not stem from municipal or citizen demand and did not prioritize the public.
The Island Council's decision, which will be submitted to the Plenary for ratification, is based on the current proposal no longer aligning with the grounds that justified its declaration of insular interest in 2022. The project aimed to combine outreach, conservation, and environmental restoration with activities linked to the sea and nature.
The mayor stated her opposition to the project after meeting with the Salvar Punta Blanca platform, arguing that its development would lead to the destruction of an emblematic and unique part of the Guía de Isora coastline. Dorta expressed doubts about the project's 'insular interest', suggesting that a 'particular interest' might have predominated.
Following the Island Council's announcement, Dorta has received numerous reactions within the municipality and reaffirms her commitment to ensuring that initiatives respond to the general interest, respect environmental values, and involve active participation from residents, stating that 'things cannot be done behind their backs'.
The project's suspension has also been welcomed by environmental groups such as the Salvar Punta Blanca platform and Greenpeace. These organizations have questioned the parallel processing of other projects, such as the artificial wave park WaveGarden in La Tejita, demanding transparency and tourism moratoria. Greenpeace highlighted the threat 'Underwater Gardens' posed to the ecological balance of southern Tenerife and the occupation of public maritime-terrestrial domain.
