Wipes, napkins and containers form the 'garbage' left by some of the people who access the base of the Natural Monument, threatening our nature and endangering the life of the ecosystems.
The Cabildo of Gran Canaria, through the Department of the Environment, periodically carries out surveillance and improvement work on protected natural spaces. An activity that affects an area that covers more than 45% of the island territory, and that the Minister of Environment, Climate, Energy and Knowledge of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Raúl García Brink, has reinforced with personnel, technical means and advertising campaigns. awareness, such as the one that has just begun for the Special Natural Reserve of the Maspalomas Dunes under the motto “Your look, the only trace”.
Waste collection is a municipal responsibility, although the Department of the Environment, with the aim of supporting institutional collaboration with the most sensitive territories, has carried out a shock action in the area around Roque Nublo. "We must look for ways to collaborate with city councils to reduce the presence of waste in the most visited natural spaces and with greater pressure, but I believe that we must insist on applying the principle that the preservation and care of natural spaces is a task of everyone and that, therefore, the garbage has to be deposited in the authorized containers or, much better, if we take it home."
This cleaning work is due to the “lack of civility of some people who have no consideration for the common space, showing their poor education and little respect for nature and the island community, leaving a mark of 'garbage' in places of great landscape and environmental value,” he points out, by leaving his waste lying around without taking it to the collection points installed in most of the island territory, including access points to natural spaces that have a large influx of visitors.
The counselor highlights that "for now we have carried out a shock action that will be complemented with the initiatives that we are studying to establish the capacity of visitors that certain natural monuments can receive, which have a great attraction due to their spectacular nature and ease of access, which It is causing serious problems of traffic congestion, saturation of people, and impact on these unique and fragile spaces in the face of human presence.
"We must raise awareness among citizens so that they assume that the care and preservation of the island's natural spaces is everyone's task, and so that they understand that cleaning is not the solution, but rather avoiding its origin: when it is deposited, and that is where where there is very important work to do," he stated.
The action carried out in Roque Nublo has involved the removal of several bags full of wipes, toilet paper, sanitary pads, containers... materials that could be easily transported by the people who dumped them, to deposit them in the garbage containers that are installed in the access to the Roque Nublo path, so that all visitors can enjoy the landscape and a walk without encountering the 'bad memory' left by uncivil people.
García Brink appeals to collective responsibility, as well as compliance with ordinances, to allocate resources to actions to improve the environment and not to cleaning the forest, since currently it is impossible to act on the entire territory, taking into account Note that Gran Canaria has two comprehensive nature reserves (Inagua and Barranco Oscuro), six special nature reserves (El Brezal, Azuaje, Los Marteles, Dunas de Maspalomas, Los Tilos de Moya and Guguy), two natural parks (Tamadaba and Pilancones) , and two rural parks (El Nublo and Doramas). In addition, 10 Natural Monuments, 7 Protected Landscapes, and 4 Sites of Scientific Interest should be added. Added to all this are the Special Conservation Areas (ZEC) of the Natura 2000 Network of the European Union, which increase the protected land surface and add almost half of our marine environment.
The places and sites of historical heritage are not spared from vandalism and the lack of civility of numerous people, which are also spread throughout the island, currently totaling 1266 archaeological sites.
