Teide is suffering from tourists: authorities are tightening control and will fine offenders

On Tenerife, authorities are coordinating efforts with the Civil Guard, the Canary Police, and environmentalists to control the flow of tourists to Teide. Special attention will be paid to popular spots such as the Chipeque, Chimaque, and Ayosa viewpoints in the Corona Forestal Natural Park.

Starting next week, the Canary Police will be on duty in Teide National Park.

Such measures, as explained by the President of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, are necessary due to the large crowds at sunset at the Corona Forestal viewpoints.

"In the evenings, a lot of people gather there. They not only create traffic jams by parking anywhere, but also put themselves in danger, because in case of anything, a forest fire could break out," she added.

The authorities remind that special measures to regulate the flow of people and transport in protected areas have already been introduced for holidays, such as Easter. Now they are being applied again due to the large influx of tourists to the Corona Forestal viewpoints. "Violators will be fined," warned the Councillor for Ecology, Blanca Pérez.

"This is a complex problem that requires coordinated action from various departments. We are working to ensure constant surveillance of these areas, because it is not only about protecting nature, but also about the safety of people in the event of a fire," she added.

The Director of Ecology, Pedro Millán, stressed that people should not be allowed to break the rules in natural areas. He reminded that environmentalists have the right to draw up protocols for offenders.

These protocols are forwarded to the General Directorate of Traffic, which imposes fines. Several such protocols have already been drawn up in recent days.

In the first half of this year, about 700 environmental violations were recorded in Tenerife.

Teide National Park is one of the most popular places in Spain, and problems often arise here due to overtourism. Thousands of people gather in certain places, such as the Ayosa or Chipeque viewpoints, which leads to traffic jams.

The Instagram account @meteolamatanza posted videos showing how many cars are parked anywhere in Ayosa so that people can admire the sunset.

On August 9, rescuers evacuated more than 50 people from the Chipeque viewpoint, although entry to the mountain was prohibited and some viewpoints were closed due to the high fire risk and heat.

Photographer Diego Manrique also complained on social media about "uncontrolled tourism" in Corona Forestal. He said that people smoke in pine forests during fire alerts, throw cigarette butts and garbage, launch drones in violation of the rules, and even rob parked cars. "When will the next fire be?" he asks.

Jaime Coello of the Telesforo Bravo-Juan Coello Foundation believes that Teide is suffering from an "ideal storm of mass tourism" and accuses the authorities of "putting mass tourism above nature conservation." He argues that the situation has become "unbearable" and criticizes the lack of control in places such as the San José mines, where people park anywhere, stray from the paths, and collect stones.

Unfortunately, complaints about negligent treatment of Teide National Park are received almost daily.