The international organization Greenpeace has warned that Tenerife is at a "point of no return" and has demanded the suspension of two urban development projects in the south of the island, arguing that "anthropogenic pressure is unsustainable". The projects highlighted are the mega-tourist project Cuna del Alma in El Puertito de Adeje and Underwater Gardens in Punta Blanca.
Greenpeace warns of the potential impact of these constructions on the Special Conservation Area (ZEC) Franja Marina Teno-Rasca, an area of nearly 70,000 hectares that hosts 74 threatened marine species. This zone, declared Europe's First Whale Heritage Site, already suffers from human pressure due to noise pollution, boat collisions, and wastewater discharge.
“"We cannot allow them to turn our coast into a resort"
To protect Teno-Rasca and its "last virgin spaces" from being transformed into "luxury resorts", Greenpeace has launched a petition. The organization emphasizes the "urgent" need for "calm and restoration" in the protected area, rather than more infrastructure.
The Cuna del Alma project, which includes 420 luxury villas, is already underway despite previous halts due to its impact on biodiversity and archaeological sites. Underwater Gardens, declared of insular interest, is promoted as a "regenerative park" but is labeled by Greenpeace and the platform Salvar Punta Blanca as a case of "greenwashing".
Underwater Gardens in Punta Blanca includes a 17-hectare "regenerative park" and a request from the Government of the Canary Islands to occupy protected coastal areas for artificial reefs and oceanographic monitoring stations. The scientific coordinator of the Ocean Citizen project, Sergio Rossi, clarified that the requested occupation "cannot be interpreted as a first construction phase of the park".
A technical analysis by Greenpeace questions whether Underwater Gardens meets the Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) criteria of the IUCN, labeling it a "technological and tourist intervention" that prioritizes tourism development over ecological restoration and increases pressure on the marine environment.
More than 20 Canary scientists have expressed concern about the "instrumental use of science" to justify commercial projects, rejecting Underwater Gardens and criticizing that restoration is becoming a "narrative for accessing public funds" for "commercial and speculative activity".
The platform Salvar Punta Blanca, representing 30 collectives, demands the promoter of Underwater Garden renounce the project and that environmental permits be denied. They urge the Cabildo of Tenerife not to support infrastructure "disguised as sustainability", to effectively protect protected areas, review environmental impact assessments, and promote restoration projects.
