The Tías Town Council has commissioned a geological, geomorphological, and stability study on the area known on social media as Las Grietas (The Cracks), whose official name is Barranco Negro (Black Ravine). This area receives hundreds of visitors a day "without any type of control or regulation, without indications, and without surveillance," so this natural space of geological interest is subject to strong tourist pressure.
Due to the uniqueness of this natural space, numerous striking photographs have been published on social media, many of them of people posing who publish them on their own profiles. This has caused a calling effect to the place to take a photograph or simply want to see the place in person.
Faced with this situation, the Tías Town Council intends to regulate visits and make them guided. The work carried out has consisted of executing actions that allow us to understand the geological, geomorphological, lithological, and structural characteristics of the different materials present in the area.
Currently, "many of the tourists are only looking for the photograph, so they do not respect the natural environment or observe it, which increases the risk of degradation," the study states.
Furthermore, the most visited ravine is being damaged, and due to the narrowness of some areas and the loose lapilli, people grab onto the walls, causing them to wear down. In addition, the surroundings are being heavily trampled, and human-caused degradation is increasing due to the lack of surveillance and environmental education.
Risks Faced by Visitors
The report concludes that there is a risk to people, such as the risk of natural landslides with the fall of blocks naturally inside Las Grietas. There is also the risk induced by visitors, who can cause landslides.
Likewise, possible accidents due to recklessness, since many of the visitors arrive with inappropriate shoes, or the presence of people with serious health problems within the area. Added to this is the risk of accidents on the road due to the recklessness of drivers trying to get to the place.
Measures Proposed by the Study
Among the measures proposed by the study are halting free access and establishing guided tours with small groups of no more than ten people. Also, creating a municipal ordinance for the protection and use of the site.
Furthermore, propose an adaptation project that includes roping off the upper parts of the most frequented areas of Las Grietas and preventing the movement of people near the high areas of the walls.
The proposals also include placing signs on the road to indicate the location of the most viable parking area, avoiding potential negligence by drivers.
Likewise, the idea is raised that the guide to the place should not focus solely on geology, since the area is related to water collection systems from the past of the island's population, with archaeological studies existing.
Finally, a second phase of the study is currently being contracted.