Thursday, April 02, 2009
How many chickens are there in Tenerife?
No, it's not a trick question. We all know that old saying, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, meaning don’t assume that you’ll get the things you want until you have them. Presumably, there's no translation of this concept into Spanish, because the Tenerife authorities appear to be counting, if not their chickens, the number of euros of european funds that they think they have to build the port at Granadilla.
The wording on the above sign board says "The present Project is co-financed by the European Union" and mentions an investment (obviously the total, not just the EU bit) of 114,582,734.45 Euros (and I really have to wonder at the person mean enough to mention 45 cents on a 114 million euro project too. 
)
Folk have been saying that the sign is a lie because EU funds had not been granted and, it appears that Brussels has confirmed this and deny that the works on the port are co-financed by the EU. This report goes on to say:
The European Commission confirmed on Tuesday in Brussels, during a meeting of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament - which considered a complaint from the Citizens' Platform against the port of Granadilla - that it has not begun the process to provide funds to this port infrastructure in the south of Tenerife, but it has formally accepted the application for the funds.
It's not just the sign though, apparently, the argument that the Canarian Government used to beg the courts not to paralyse the work (the court did stop it) was that they were getting 68 million euros and would lose EU funds. These same ones they've only put an application in for and got no decision on.
Just the application form, nada mas. What the hell are they playing at?
More to the point, dare we hope that now they'll never get the funds?
Image of the offending sign, courtesy of Mataparda.
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Granadilla port project "fatally wounded"?
Well, we can hope. The MEP for Los Verdes (The Greens) David Hammerstein is convinced that the controversial industrial port planned to be built in Granadilla, is "fatally wounded" because "they [the EU / Europe] are discovering that the arguments and reports provided by the Spanish and Canarian authorities to justify the project are, at the very least, questionable. "
More (in Spanish) in this article in La Opinión de Tenerife. Interestingly, the photo of the sign board announcing the works on the port (currently suspended by the courts) is shown because it states that the project is co-financed by the EU. This, say The Greens, is clear evidence of the lies surrounding the project, because not one euro has been granted from Europe for this infrastructure.
Via: Canarias dice NO AL PUERTO DE GRANADILLA Facebook group
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Up to 50,000 say No to the Granadilla Port
Mayor of Granadilla calls upon the other politicians to listen to what citizens are asking.
First reports indicate that up to 50,000 people according to the organizers and more than 15,000 according local police joined today's demonstration to say a resounding NO the building of the industrial port in Granadilla.
Among the demonstrators was mayor of Granadilla, Carmen Nieves Gaspar (Canarian Coalition), who said the concept of the port was so contested and she felt politicians should take note to act accordingly and stop the port.
Gaspar told Europa Press, "This demonstration is a further demonstration that the people of Tenerife has taken to the streets to reject an infrastructure like the Port of Granadilla, which is harmful, unnecessary and, moreover, violates the environment and [is] against the interests of the whole island. "
Also, the mayor alluded to the tourist area of El Médano, which in her words would be "seriously injured" by the construction of the Port.
Leading the march was Professor Emeritus from the University of La Laguna, Wolfredo Wildpret, who has spent more than 10 years preparing reports which warned of the serious environmental consequences of building the port.
Wildpret also underlined that 53 species will be affected by this infrastructure and warned that what will be lost is part of Canarian biodiversity.
Another of those attending was former president of the Tenerife Port Authority, Anatael Meneses, who said "Today is an important day for Tenerife, the Canary Islands and Spain because the port has become an icon to which people have said ' no', because it's completely unnecessary and violates many laws. "
Photo: José Mesa who has more images from the demo here.
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Thursday, March 12, 2009
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
If you want to do something really worthwhile in Tenerife this weekend, may I recommend that you join the demonstration FOR protected species - FOR compliance with the law - and NO to the Granadilla Port.
Saturday, March 14th, 12:00 mid-day, from the Plaza Militar to the Presidencia del Gobierno, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 
(see map).
Joni Mitchell got the idea for the song, "Big Yellow Taxi", during a visit to Hawaii. She looked out of her hotel window at the spectacular Pacific mountain scenery, and then down to a parking lot, apparently.
And I can't help thinking that there are numerous similarities to be drawn between Hawaii in the Pacific - where you'll find the world's #1 and #2 volcanos and Tenerife, in the Atlantic, where you'll find volcano #3, Mount Teide.
Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" was released way back in 1970 (that should make a few of you feel pretty old), so the problem isn't new, nor is it exclusive to volcanic islands that attract tourists either, but by now, you'd think we'd know better than to destroy the very nature and beauty that attracted those visitors in the first place and, there seems no worse example (to me) than the project for, not a parking lot this time, but the Granadilla industrial port.
The story so far, for those not familiar with the controversy that has been going on for years, is that the authorities in Tenerife want to built it and nobody else wants it; not scientists, not ecologists, not residents and, if only they knew about it, I'm absolutely certain that tourists too would be none to happy about the idea of such a facility only a few miles from tourist beaches either ...
"Bring the family, see the passing container ships, free oil slick." NOT!
Tenerife already has a port in Santa Cruz and there are some very serious questions over whether there would be any need for another one.
In a post aptly entitled, Tenerife vacaciones en el paraíso, el paraíso de la corrupción (Tenerife holidays in paradise, the paradise of corruption), Canarias Insurgente point to a new blog, in German, Teneriffa, Apocalypse Now!, timed, given that the German press is silent on the Granadilla issue and that the most important tourism fair in the world, Internationale Tourismusbörse (ITB) is currently talking place in Berlin (11 Mar 09 - 15 Mar 09).
Island Connections call the port the Worst job creation project, calculating the cost per employee of the controversial port to 622,000 euros per job.
We've looked at the coast that will be destroyed before, when the Canarian Government's Minister of the Environment, Domingo Berriel, (conveniently) signed an order to declassify as an endangered species, the Cymodocea nodosa. Perhaps it does not seem important but this sea grass is "the equivalent of laurel forest in the marine environment of the Canary Sebadales, the problem is that it is not visible and therefore its value is not so easily seen."
"The most interesting part of this protected species is the plant itself, but the whole ecosystem is as important, in the same way that there are more than just the trees in a forest." [Source] And I don't think you need to understand the science to "get" that it wasn't listed as a protected species for no reason at all, but that there has to be something fishy about removing such classification.
... and as the lyrics say: "That you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique,
And a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
Work on the port is currently suspended: work had been allowed to start (last Friday 13th) after the highly contentious declassification of the sea grass, Cymodocea nodosa - described at the time by Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action in Tenerife), as "one of the most evident presumed illegalities in the recent history of the environment in the Canaries."
Saturday's demo is all the more vital to ensure work remains stopped, forever.
No al puerto de Granadilla. Carnaval 2009. Pictured are José Mesa's incredibly artistic - and ecological - cardboard Caballitos de mar (Seahorses); costumes made for the carnaval to also make a statement against the port, which seemed like a wonderfully peaceful way of making the point and it's also interesting to see just how many people were happily taking and wearing stickers about the demonstration. Join them on Saturday and take a stand.
Manifestación contra el Puerto de Granadilla on Facebook
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Friday, February 06, 2009
Tenerife Coast: A last look before it's gone
(Punta de Abades, Arico. Photo: José Mesa)
You know, I just can't get my head round a Coastal Law that can't be budged and insists on bulldozing a couple of "innocent" little houses, but then is nowhere to be seen (and environmental protections step aside) to allow the building of a bloody massive industrial port. So, now the party's over, it's back to your regular serving of snark, aimed squarely at the island's political shenanigans.
It's probably not for me to tell you what to be indignant about, but no matter what anyone says, logic and instinct must tell us that smelly industrial port facilities and beautiful bits of virgin coastline just aren't compatible.
Anyway, you can see and decide for yourself:
With a picture being apparently worth 1,000 words (the exchange rate may be less in the current crisis), here are some 483,000 on Tenerife's coast from Punta de Abona to the Montaña Pelada (with some stunning coastline and cute little typical white houses in small coastal settlements, plus the odd ruin, some junk and an army of wheelie bins!), of which a section of the photos, referenced on the map, are of the coast that will be destroyed by the Granadilla port.
If your broadband connection can get a decent wind behind it, I'd suggest pouring the beverage of your choice and cranking up the Slideshow.
Even then, as José says, these don't do the problem justice, as it isn't the silent beaches and deserted coves that will be ruined (though having big ugly, dirty ships chugging past them isn't exactly going to be a scenic improvement), the most important impact of the construction of the Port of Granadilla is on the marine ecosystems, which, once lost, will be lost forever.
... and that's always the point when it's suddenly discovered just how utterly vital to the overall scheme of things that those seemingly small and insignificant little bits of nature actually were. Too late.
Scientists are against this project, ecologists are are against it, residents of all nationalities are against it. Yes, I signed the petition against it too, years ago.
As José says:
"This project has had a social response unlike any other in the history of the Canary Islands. Demonstrations challenging the construction of the Port of Granadilla are there to embarrass the politicians (if that's possible), who hypocritically speak of the importance of promoting citizen involvement."
And, yet on Wednesday, President of the Island Corporation, Ricardo Melchior, calmly aimed both barrels of the figuratively loaded 12-bore at the island's feet, to declare that "the works to construct the port of Granadilla could start next week," ... after the Canarian Government's Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Domingo Berriel, (conveniently) signed an order to declassify as an endangered species, the Cymodocea nodosa: the declassification required to allow the construction of the port of Granadilla to go ahead. This whole concept of "there's an ecological inconvenience and we'll just sign it away with a bit of paper" nonsense is just too surreal for my head to cope with.
What do you think?
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Thousands still say NO to Granadilla Port
Brussels recently gave the go-ahead for the port to be built, although with conditions, but protesters still say that the environmental risks are just too high. The protest too was as much against the growing levels of urban corruption in Spain. They accuse the Canary Islands parliament of "living off cement" with growth accelerating out of control and, are demanding a referendum over the building of the port.
Miles de personas se manifiestan Tenerife contra el puerto de Granadilla y la corrupción urbanística
Miles de personas dicen 'no con mi voto' al puerto de Granadilla
Thousands demonstrate against planned Canaries port
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Granadilla Port Gets Go-Ahead, with conditions.
(It is still difficult to imagine what public this interests, when such a large number have clearly said they don't want the port to be built, mind you.)
Nevertheless, despite allowing the construction, Brussels admit, at the same time, that there are repercussions in various areas and protected species and are obliging the Spanish authorities to present annual reports on the project and to apply compensatory measures of protection of the flora and fauna in the area.
El puerto de Granadilla, ?sí? con condiciones
La Comisión Europea autoriza la construcción del puerto de Granadilla
Bruselas da vía libre a la construcción del puerto industrial de Granadilla
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Brussels to approve Granadilla Port Tomorrow
According to sources at ACN Press, reported here by ArchipielagoNoticias, the European Commission will give the green light to the construction of the industrial port at Granadilla in the south of Tenerife tomorrow, November 6th. "On Monday, at 11 a.m. the written procedure will be concluded", via which Brussels will finally adopt a decision in favour of the construction of the contentious port.
The thousands of petitions and complaints against the port, brought by the Tenerife Association of the Friends of Nature, The Citizens' Platform against the Industrial Port of Granadilla, Ecologists in Action, SEO/Birdlife, Adena/World Wildlife Fund et al, it seems, in a nutshell, have largely been filed and ignored.
Bruselas aprueba el lunes la construcción del puerto de Granadilla
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Ecologists Call for the declaration of a Marine National Park for Tenerife
Green group, Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action), have presented a proposal for the declaration of the area of the coast of Tenerife from the Punta de Teno (north west tip) to the Punta Rasca (south west tip) as a marine national park, because the Council for the Environment of the Canarian Government, who had previously tried to declare the area in question as a natural park, has allowed the application to expire, say Ben Magec.
Spokesman for Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción, Rubén Fuentes, made the declaration in a press conference, underlining that this was not just an initiative of this ecological collective, but that it has two precedents:
One of the precedents is that the proposal made by the Council for the Environment of the Canarian Government, which had wanted to declare the area, which starts from Teno and runs to the Punta Rasca, as a natural park, but that they have allowed the application to expire.
The other precedent is a previous proposal by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment for the declaration of that area as a marine national park.
The initiative presented by Ben Magec-Ecologistas en Acción is for the declaration of the area as a marine national park for cetaceans, because of the constant presence of these animals to the south west of Tenerife.
Such project would protect the marine life and cetaceans in the area and would be incompatible with the construction of a port in Granadilla.
They don't say it directly, but I will. That last point makes the fact that the authorities have allowed these applications to expire look at little fishy.
Solicitan un Parque Nacional Marino para Tenerife
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
European Parlament Delays Decision on the Port of Granadilla until May
Yesterday, various groups who oppose the project for the construction of a port in Granadilla in the south of Tenerife - The Platform Against the Port of Granadilla, Atan, Ecologists in Action, Greenpeace, SEO/Birdlife and WWF/Adena - met and presented their case at the European Parliament. Also there, by invitation, were representatives of the Canary Islands' Government, the Ministry of the Environment and of the European Commission.
It is the first time since the commencement of the project that there has been any official debate and the petitioners lament that this had to be in the European Parliament and not in the Canarian Parliament, as was requested repeatedly by Canarian citizens.
The arguments of the petitioners appear to be backed by various representatives of the European Commission. Especially significant was the intervention by the Regional Executive, who underlined the fact that no funds exist to finance the Granadilla Port during the period 2000-2006, meaning that the Spanish Government will have to apply for funds all over again during the 2007-2013 period, taking into account that the financing of large infrastructures is not a priority for this period.
Finally, the European Parliament has agreed to hold off its resolution over the matter until the month of May, once they know the final decisions of the three Executives of the European Commission in respect to the project.
The various groups who are against the project saw the meeting as a success, in which the information offered by the European Commission supports their thesis.
EL PARLAMENTO EUROPEO RETRASA LA RESULOCIÓN DE GRANADILLA HASTA MAYO
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
Friday, January 20, 2006
EU says Granadilla port should go ahead
After much controversy surrounding the proposal to build a new port in Granadilla de Abona - and many protestations from citizens and Green Groups - EU Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, pointing out the necessity of the port for future development of the Island, concluded that there were no viable alternatives that would adequately fulfil the requirements.
EU says Granadilla port should go ahead
Labels: Puerto de Granadilla
