Key facts

Location: ZEC Franja Marina Teno-Rasca, southwest Tenerife — EU's only official whale sanctuary in the region

Project 1 — Cuna del Alma: 420 luxury villas in Puertito de Adeje, already under construction despite multiple partial stop orders

Project 2 — Underwater Gardens: marine theme park on 10.6 hectares, up to 3,000 visitors daily, partly within EU protected zone

Opposition: «Salvar Punta Blanca» platform, 34 groups including Greenpeace — 62,000 international signatures

Greenpeace today: new petition launched, declares Tenerife at «point of no return»

Sources: elDiario.es Canarias, ecoticias.com, eldigitalsur.com, atlanticohoy.com, kanaren-heute.de

There is a phrase Greenpeace rarely uses — because it sounds so final. «Punto de no retorno»: the point of no return. The moment after which what is lost cannot come back.

For the southwest coast of Tenerife, Greenpeace says that moment is now. The organisation has today launched an international petition demanding the Cabildo de Tenerife immediately halt two major projects — one already under construction, one on the verge of approval.

Contents

  1. What is being built — and why this location matters
  2. 62,000 signatures — and why that is not enough
  3. The bigger picture
  4. Frequently asked questions

What is being built — and why this location matters

The Franja Marina Teno-Rasca is an EU Special Area of Conservation (SAC/ZEC) — the only marine protected area in the EU that is officially designated as a whale sanctuary, and one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the Canary Islands. Although the southern Tenerife coast is already among the most heavily developed tourist zones in the archipelago, new projects are threatening the last untouched stretches of this protected coastline.

Cuna del Alma: Already under construction — 420 luxury villas in the Puertito de Adeje, despite multiple partial stop orders issued over the project's impact on biodiversity and archaeological sites. A court recently ordered a temporary halt to one section and opened an investigation into potential violations of coastal protection law.

Underwater Gardens: A planned marine theme park on over 10 hectares on the Guía de Isora coastline — on rural protected land — plus underwater installations inside the ZEC Teno-Rasca itself. The development would attract up to 3,000 visitors per day.

Greenpeace and the Salvar Punta Blanca platform describe Underwater Gardens as «textbook greenwashing»: the project markets itself as a «regenerative park» with diving experiences, but is in reality, the organisations say, a disguised large-scale tourist infrastructure destroying nature under the banner of sustainability. «It is predation with better branding», the platform states.

62,000 signatures — and why that is not enough

The campaign has coalesced around the platform «Salvar Punta Blanca» — 34 groups including Greenpeace, conservation organisations, surf clubs such as Wave Legends and community groups. The international petition on WeMoveEurope has gathered more than 62,000 signatures. Official objections have been filed, public actions organised, and the European Commission has been notified.

Greenpeace demands that Teno-Rasca receives «calm and restoration» — no further infrastructure. Specifically, the organisation is calling on the Cabildo de Tenerife to publicly commit to rejecting tourism projects «disguised as sustainability», to introduce strict environmental impact assessment protocols, and to fund active coastal ecosystem restoration.

The bigger picture

Greenpeace warns that the Canary Islands could lose up to 80% of their beaches by the end of this century — through rising sea levels compounded by ongoing coastal overdevelopment. 47 coastal zones in the Canaries are already classified as high-risk areas.

What is happening in Tenerife is not an exception. It is the pattern: a protected area is declared «of island interest», a project is greenlit, protests begin, courts issue partial stop orders — and construction continues anyway. Cuna del Alma proves that even repeated court decisions only slow the process, they do not stop it.

What is different this time: it is not only local activists protesting. 62,000 international signatures, the European Commission informed, a Greenpeace annual report — the question of coastal destruction in Tenerife has now become a European issue.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ZEC Teno-Rasca?
One of Europe's most important marine protected areas on the southwest coast of Tenerife — the EU's only official whale sanctuary in the region and one of the most biodiverse marine zones in the Canary Islands.
What is Cuna del Alma?
A luxury resort of 420 villas in Puertito de Adeje. Already under construction — despite multiple partial stop orders for violations of coastal protection and archaeological heritage law.
What is Underwater Gardens?
A planned marine theme park covering 10.6 hectares in Guía de Isora, with underwater installations in the ZEC Teno-Rasca. Capacity: up to 3,000 visitors per day. Classified by Greenpeace as greenwashing.
What is Greenpeace asking for?
Immediate halt to both projects, a public commitment from the Cabildo against «sustainability-branded» tourism development, stricter environmental assessments, and active coastal restoration.
Can I sign the petition?
Yes — the petition is on greenpeace.es and on the international platform WeMoveEurope.