Back in the early 2000s, the regional government gave the green light to an enormous tourism development known as Marina de Cope. The plan was to build dozens of hotels, thousands of homes, a golf course and one of the largest marinas in Europe along a pristine stretch of coastline between the municipalities.
Now, environmentalists fear the controversial megaproject is making a comeback under a different name.
The latest alarm bells started ringing earlier this week when Lorca City Council approved a motion presented by the far-right Vox party to “study the possibilities of promoting quality sustainable tourism” around Calnegre Natural Park.
The text of the initiative, which passed with the support of the ruling People’s Party (PP), has outraged conservation groups who see it as an underhand attempt to revive the Marina de Cope plan and open up the protected coastline for development.
Several environmental organisations in the Region of Murcia including Amacope, Anse, Ecologistas en Acción and Naturactúa have slammed the wording of the motion and the political rhetoric surrounding it.
They highlight statements included in the motion such as “due to political actions more concerned with bushes and lizards than with people” and “the creation of a natural park on the Lorca coast has not brought any benefit to the residents.” The initiative also claims that “this Natural Park, dead and depopulated, only encourages the entry of boats with illegal immigrants and drug trafficking.”
In a joint response, the organisations warn that these statements are “false, offensive and contrary to the facts, the law and the general interest of Lorca and its coastline.”
They point to official data from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) that shows how the six main Lorca districts bordering the Natural Park (Puntas de Calnegre, Ramonete, Morata, Librilleras, Puerto Muriel and Garrobillo) have actually maintained or increased their population over the last 23 years.
To link the Park to rural depopulation, they argue, without carrying out detailed studies or controlling for other economic and social factors, is a “deliberate manipulation.”
Environmentalists are now sounding the alarm that the motion is the first step in a renewed attempt to strip protections from the area and allow large-scale tourism developments to go ahead.
They argue that the Puntas de Calnegre Natural Park is one of the best-preserved coastal ecosystems in the entire Mediterranean. Calnegre is home to rich biodiversity and provides vital environmental protection by acting as a barrier against erosion, safeguarding underground water sources and helping reduce the impact of extreme weather events linked to climate change.
Instead of rehashing failed development plans, the organisations argue, what the area really needs is proper investment and support. They are calling for the implementation of a long-overdue Natural Resources Management Plan, increased surveillance of the Park, a socioeconomic revitalisation strategy for local villages, improvements to public services and closer cooperation between the municipalities of Lorca and Águilas.
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