Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Andalucia - Tarifa horror story!


A new horror story from our beloved Andalucía. 
Jesus Gallardo García & Peter Jones

It looks like the Local government of Tarifa, together with the regional government of Andalucia, are going to approve the coastal "development" of Valdevaqueros!

Help us to help our nature here in Andalucia!

Where is it? It’s within the main bird migration route between Africa and Europe, it is in the heart of the International Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterraneo, it is within the Natural Park of the Strait of Gibraltar (granted with the European Chart of Sustainable Tourism), the development proposals are also against the European Strategy for Biodiversity 2020. A few of my many friends have already been there during one of the several Famtrips organized to Andalucia, volunteering, birding or even as part of wildlife/birdwatching tours that are organized to this important area.

This ill thought and damaging scheme is against the will of the local people, it’s not the path for growth Andalusians want to continue with. Already in 2010 59% of the coast in the Andalucian region had been built-up, showing that this model of tourism destination is not sustainable in the long term and only provide benefits to investors at the early stages of the project, indeed neither is it sustainable to locals who have to live with the environmental and cultural externalities caused, including the degradation of environmental services emanated from the existing ecosystems.

The intention is not to stop regional development, but at the very least to have the possibility to choose a different scenario, a sustainable one. Please share this post with friends and NGO´s for sustainable development, customers, fellows....help us to raise a social concern to change the political will. Let’s have the word spread before RIO+20 nice words must be backed up with good practices and demonstrative actions; let’s provide our politicians with enough social support to change their minds!

To register your objection to this scheme, please sign the petition on the following link: http://www.change.org/es/peticiones/salvemos-valdevaqueros

Please do share this blog post, thank you all so much. Peter and Jesus.

4 comments:

Jacob said...

Have the idiots approving this not seen Torremolinos? Maybe they should look at Thailand and their building laws - nothing over two stories high and it must be sympathetic to the landscape.

Is nothing sacred?

Bird Guide said...

I am afraid these people seem incapable of learning any kind of lesson Jacob. They come out with the usual nonsense of creating 00's of permanent jobs, when in reality actual experience shows this is just speculation and will blight an otherwise unspoilt landscape for no good reason!

Jacob said...

I'm guessing the money will come from other countries as Spain is broke. There are so many roads unfinished and buildings left untended due to the financial plight of the country. This of course doesn't make it acceptable; there has to be room for nature to thrive and the last thing that stretch of beach needs is high rise hotels and heavy tourist footfall.

I wrote about the beach (and various other things there) on my own blog recently - http://www.spain-in-a-campervan.com/travel-diary-spain/a-golden-stretch-tarifa-beach-costa-de-la-luz-andalucia-6364.html

It would be an utter sin to see another beautiful place destroyed by greed. Is there a petition we can sign anywhere?

Bird Guide said...

Hi Jacob, the petition address/link is at the bottom of this posting. Hope you find it and sign it. Peter