Legal Challenge Halts Tenerife’s Environmental Agent Recruitment Plan

Tenerife’s plan to modernize surveillance in its natural spaces has hit a legal roadblock, threatening to delay the Island Council’s (Cabildo) timeline. An appeal from a candidate excluded from the hiring process has forced a temporary halt to the recruitment of 26 new environmental agents. This challenge, filed on February 16, has frozen the hiring process, which is central to the Council’s new strategy for managing forests and protected areas.

The Cabildo presidency must now resolve the dispute, a process that will take at least as long as the mandatory public consultation period following the official announcement. The recruitment process, part of the 2020-2023 Public Employment Offer, was already facing challenges; the selection board had previously declared six of the 26 positions vacant because there were not enough successful candidates. The remaining 20 roles, now on hold, were intended to boost staffing in the Teno and Anaga rural parks, support forest management in Vilaflor and La Orotava, and assist the Department of Natural Environment.

This legal setback comes amid ongoing political debate over the Cabildo’s security strategy. While the Council aims to increase the number of agents in Teide National Park—growing from two to seven, with a long-term goal of thirteen—its decision to outsource surveillance has drawn criticism. Unions, environmental groups, and political parties, including the PSOE and Izquierda Unida Canaria, have condemned the 5.8-million-euro, three-year contract with a private security firm. Critics argue that public functions should not be privatized and question the wisdom of using private guards rather than official law enforcement.

The contract was awarded to Segurmaximo, the only company to bid, prompting opposition leaders to demand more transparency. They are calling for clarity on how private security staff will work alongside public forces like the Canary Islands Police and the Civil Guard. Under current regulations, the Cabildo has up to three months to resolve the appeal. Until the staffing issue is settled, the Council’s new, comprehensive plan for protecting the island’s territory remains on hold.