The PSOE of Lanzarote denounces the lack of an established carrying capacity that allows for the regulation of visits to the island's natural spaces and guarantees their conservation. The socialists point out that the chaos and improvisation in the Los Volcanes Natural Park demonstrate the consequences of managing visitor numbers without first determining what pressure each environment can withstand and what limits should be applied to protect it.
The deputy spokesperson for the Socialist Group in the Cabildo, Ariagona González, points out that the installation of tents for staff next to the parking lots in the vicinity of the Cuervo volcano demonstrates a management focused on attending to the arrival of visitors without having established how many this space can receive or how to limit access when its capacity is reached. "The problem is not solved by placing a tent next to a parking lot if vehicles and visitors continue to arrive without regulation to protect the environment. Lanzarote is not a theme park and the Cabildo cannot continue managing its natural spaces as if they could absorb unlimited numbers," she states.
González recalls that María Dolores Corujo's government initiated the procedure in May 2023 to declare Lanzarote a touristically saturated zone, following a carrying capacity study that confirmed the island had exceeded its limits. The socialist deputy spokesperson denounces that Oswaldo Betancort's government has done absolutely nothing to address that diagnosis and, on the contrary, has favored greater tourist pressure, with the authorization of more than 2,000 beds since he took office as President of the Cabildo and a growth in vacation rentals of over 110% during the current term.
"Betancort knew the diagnosis from the moment he took office. He knew that Lanzarote had exceeded its carrying capacity and has continued to allow tourist pressure to increase. That policy has consequences for the territory, public services, and natural spaces that he now intends to manage with superficial fixes," states González.
For the PSOE, the warnings from the island's study must translate into decisions that curb saturation and into specific planning for natural spaces subjected to high visitor numbers. Establishing their carrying capacity would allow for determining the volume of visits compatible with their conservation, regulating parking, and controlling access.
The socialists emphasize that guaranteeing dignified conditions for information and control staff must be provided for in the organization of the service, along with landscape protection. They consider that the proliferation of tents and improvised parking lots in a protected environment projects an image of disorder and demonstrates the lack of an adequate response.
"Workers need adequate means to carry out their work. It is up to the Cabildo to provide for these conditions and to do so with solutions compatible with the environment. Landscape protection and staff conditions must be part of the planning from the beginning," maintains the deputy spokesperson.
The Socialist Group demands that the island government explain the criteria used to locate these facilities and organize parking in Los Volcanes, as well as the measures planned to avoid saturation and ensure the conservation of the park.
"The landscape deserves the same respect that we demand in our tourism promotion. Betancort cannot continue authorizing more growth while our natural spaces bear the consequences of its lack of planning. Lanzarote needs a government that sets limits and makes them respected," concludes Ariagona González.
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