The deputy and candidate for the presidency of the Cabildo Insular for Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-BC), Yoné Caraballo, and the local secretary of NC-BC in Yaiza, Luis Miguel Valiente, have visited the Natural Monument of Los Ajaches to learn about the situation of the accesses to the coves of Papagayo and to demand measures that allow the enjoyment of this space to be compatible with its conservation.
According to the data provided to NC-BC, during the high tourist season, between 1,200 and 1,500 vehicles access the area daily, compared to a limit of up to 2,000. For the Canaristas, this high pressure on the territory poses a risk to the sustainability of a natural space protected since 1994.
In this regard, Yoné Caraballo has defended the need to establish limits in the face of increasing tourist pressure and private vehicles. “Los Ajaches and Papagayo are one of our greatest natural riches. We cannot continue to see thousands of cars entering and parking even on the edges of the roads. Lanzarote needs to start setting limits on tourism growth when it puts our territory at risk,” he stated.
Therefore, NC-BC proposes to limit access for non-residents to 500 vehicles per day, while maintaining free access for residents of Lanzarote and La Graciosa. Caraballo has stressed that the proposal does not aim to close Papagayo, but rather to “impose order” through a system that allows controlling the influx and ensuring better conservation of the space. Among the measures proposed is the establishment of a prior online reservation, with the possibility of paying a fee in advance, so that the income directly benefits the space itself to improve the roads, cleaning, and waste collection.
The candidate and parliamentarian has also raised the need to promote sustainable mobility alternatives, such as electric bicycles, to reduce the pressure from private vehicles. “Lanzarote is growing in visitors year after year. But our greatest asset is not the millions of tourists we receive, but the island we have. If we don't set limits, we could end up destroying what precisely makes us different,” he warned.
For his part, Luis Miguel Valiente has claimed that the management of Papagayo should be in accordance with the natural value of the space and allow its enjoyment to be guaranteed without compromising its conservation. “Papagayo is the natural heritage of all Lanzaroteans. We have to guarantee that residents and visitors can enjoy it, but in a way that is compatible with the conservation of Los Ajaches,” he stated.
The local secretary of NC-BC in Yaiza believes that limiting non-resident vehicles to 500 per day would reduce pressure on the space and improve its conservation conditions. “We must opt for fewer vehicles, more sustainable mobility, and better services. We cannot normalize the image of hundreds of cars accumulated in a protected natural space,” he affirmed.
At the request of the local committee of NC-BC in Yaiza, Yoné Caraballo will submit this proposal to the Ecological Transition Commission of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, with the aim of addressing the regulation of access to Papagayo and the necessary measures to guarantee the conservation of the Los Ajaches Natural Monument.
For NC-BC, the protection of this space requires moving towards a model that allows the access and enjoyment of Papagayo to be compatible with the conservation of its territory, opting for fewer vehicles, more sustainable mobility, and a management of the resources generated that directly benefits the natural space itself. In short, to recover Los Ajaches for the people of Lanzarote.
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.