Fury in Canary Islands as 60k say 'no' to huge new Tenerife tourist attraction

An artist's impression of how the 'Underwater Gardens' could look once developed (Image: Underwatergardens.com)

Furious locals and environmentalists on the most popular Canary Island have called for the immediate cancellation of a huge tourist project currently being planned. More than 60,000 people have signed a petition calling for the scrapping of the eco theme park "Underwater Gardens" project planned for the coast of Guía de Isora, in southwest Tenerife, which has been billed as a tourism "game changer".

The campaign, launched by the platform Salvar Punta Blanca - a coalition of over 30 environmental, community, cultural and sports organisations - has accused the promoters of “greenwashing” and demands real protection for the Canary Islands’ coastline. The online petition, hosted on WeMove Europe, is addressed to Rosa Dávila, President of the Cabildo de Tenerife, developer Marc García-Durán and European authorities. It urges them to halt what it describes as a “false ecological project” that poses a severe threat to one of Tenerife’s most environmentally sensitive areas.

The project will be built within the ZEC Franja Marina de Teno-Rasca - the EU's only officially recognised whale sanctuary (Image: Getty)

According to Salvar Punta Blanca, the proposed Underwater Gardens Park would occupy a 10.6-hectare (26-acre) area in a protected coastal zone, with additional underwater structures located within the Zona de Especial Conservación (ZEC) Franja Marina de Teno-Rasca - the only officially recognised whale sanctuary in the European Union.

Activists have argued that the initiative is “a blatant case of greenwashing”, falsely presented as a marine regeneration project when it is in fact “a massive tourist development incompatible with environmental conservation”.

They have claimed it would attract over 3,000 visitors a day, privatise public coastal areas and worsen the ecological and social impact of mass tourism. The platform, which is now supported by organisations including Greenpeace, the non-profit ecological organisation ATAN and numerous neighbourhood associations, has filed formal objections, staged public demonstrations and collected tens of thousands of signatures to pressure the authorities.

Campaign spokespersons have vowed to continue their actions until the project is permanently scrapped, calling it “an act of ecocide” that contradicts the principles of sustainability.

This new petition comes as a recent Greenpeace report warned that the archipelago faces “a critical situation”, with climate change, erosion and urban expansion accelerating the loss of beaches and natural habitats. Other environmental groups have highlighted that the Canary Islands' coastline is already under severe strain from overdevelopment.

Plans for an "Underwater Gardens" project were given the green light on September 27, 2024, after which it was made subject to rigorous environmental assessments before any construction work could begin. It has been billed as a tourism "game changer" as an "eco-friendly" and "innovative" coastal experience, which will attract marine life to be viewed by tourists.

Described as an eco theme park, it is split across two areas - above sea, the Garden Gate and below, the regenerative underwater Sea Garden. On land, there is also intended to be a bio lab where visitors can learn all about local sea life, plus an underwater aquarium and an indoor diving centre. The development site was previously agricultural land, primarily used for banana farming, but is now abandoned and contains several derelict buildings.

The firm behind the project said on its website: “Sea Gardens are ‘Underwater Gardens’ that respond in an intelligent and integrated way to the specific regeneration needs of a damaged ecosystem through Smart Enhanced Reefs (SER), a new generation of intelligent reefs that allow marine life to regenerate and increase local biodiversity.

“The SER implemented in the Sea Gardens respond to an ‘integrated marine regeneration plan’, which combines the technologies developed by Underwater Gardens International and the expertise of our Scientific Consortium and technical team.”