Puerto de la Cruz Residents Rally for Botanical Garden Opening After 30-Year Delay

After more than 30 years of waiting for a project that never seems to finish, the Botánico neighborhood association has decided to take action. They've organized a rally this Saturday to support the Botanical Garden of Puerto de la Cruz. Their main demands are for the expansion work to be completed and for the garden to finally open to the public.

The association also highlights the garden's importance for science and research, as it's home to many rare and endangered plant species. The rally will take place at the garden's entrance, located at 2 Retama Street, from 12 PM to 1 PM.

Back in June, the association presented a formal statement to the Municipal Council. This statement received unanimous support from all political parties, who agreed with its message. The document emphasized that expanding the garden would boost sustainable tourism, protect biodiversity by adding more plant species, and improve the well-being of the community. Despite this widespread agreement, nothing has changed.

Margalida Figueroa, the association's president, stated, "We want to emphasize how important this place is. After the Botanical Garden of Madrid, this is the second most significant botanical garden. Yet, the expansion work never seems to end, and we want an update on the project's progress."

The plans for expansion began in the late 1980s when the City Council approved changes to urban planning, allowing for the addition of a 40,000-square-meter plot next to the garden. About ten years later, the current perimeter wall was built. By 2009, the new building was almost complete, and the terraces were finished. However, since then, very little progress has been made. Crucially, the vegetation, which takes the longest to establish, hasn't even been planted. This long delay means both locals and tourists visiting the city are missing out on enjoying this valuable asset.