Tourism-based economy
After the global financial crisis in 2008, policies in Tenerife promoted foreign investment and granted foreign investors highly advantageous tax and financial repatriation terms. Land had become a commodity to service the tourism industry and not for local people to enjoy.
Reclassification of land into less protected classes has led to many developments popping up on the south coast of Tenerife; The level of protection at Puertito de Adeje was downgraded from “Rustic” to “Land Suitable for Planned Urban Development”, thus, allowing for the Cuna del Alma project to be proposed.
Cuna del Alma announced
In early 2022, the Cuna del Alma project was announced. The complex is to be made up of hundreds of units of luxury villas, beach apartments, and houses with private terraces with pools and ocean views (Canarian Weekly, 2023).
Residents have expressed indignation that their land in El Puertito was expropriated from them for 12,000 euros and will be redeveloped into a luxury development with villas costing up to 3 Million euros each.
Demonstrations and moratorium
When construction started on the Cuna del Alma project in Puertito de Adeje in May 2022, demonstrations were organised against the development and protestors complained of violence and intimidation. The weeks of demonstrations and protests from locals and activists led to a moratorium on the project’s construction on August 20, 2022 (Canarian Weekly, 2023). The project was found to be destroying specimens of Echium triste, featured in the catalogue of protected species. Construction was legally paused in October 2022 by an EU parliamentary decision (EU Parliament, 2022).
Cuna del Alma – Stop order and fine lifted for the Cuna del Alma project
The Canary Islands Government has lifted one of the three stop orders for the Cuna del Alma project. The Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment has revoked the stop order and the €110,000 fine imposed on the project. The stop order had previously been put in place due to construction starting without obtaining the required environmental impact assessment, as they only had a simplified evaluation.
“The decision to lift the stop order by the Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment is justified on the grounds that the Adeje Council granted a license for the project, limiting the agency’s capacity to intervene. The agency rejects all arguments presented by the appellant except for the alleged violation of local autonomy, in this case, the Adeje City Council as the competent authority for approving the urbanisation project and appointing the environmental body for projects.”
