Protests over cable car plan
Glacial valley would be ‘destroyed’, say protesters
A PROTEST took place in Jaca in Aragón region on Saturday to defend a Pyrenees valley – the Canal Roya – against a ‘barbarous’ plan to link the ski stations of Astún and Formigal via a cable car.
Demonstrators say the infrastructure would ‘destroy’ this virgin glacial valley, while the promoters note that they would be creating hundreds more jobs by establishing the largest skiable area in Spain.
The citizens’ movement, the Asamblea Canal Roya, called the protest to highlight their concern over the project which has the backing of the regional government.
Around 3,000 people gathered to hear a manifesto which was read out in order to ‘give a voice to the mountains’.
They said that they were speaking out because they did not want to be the generation which ‘allowed such an outrage to occur’.
They recognised that the climate is changing and there are ‘less winter days’ meaning the snow is coming later and disappearing earlier.
However, ‘destroying the Canal Roya with a cable car is not a solution to the problems that we face’.
There ‘have to be limits’ so that there are areas which ‘remain natural wild and untouched’, they stated.
The Aragón regional government is supporting the scheme to link the vast Tena valley skiing area at Formigal with the resort to the west, Astún, which is on the French border and just a couple of kilometres from Candanchú, another large ski station.
The Aragón government said it will mean that around 300 kilometres of ski slopes would be joined up.
According to national broadcaster RTVE, the project
would be part funded with EU cash.
While protesters note that a cable car would have to be served by evacuation trails that can be used by vehicles and an electricity substation, the regional government has insisted that environmentally it is an ‘impeccable’ project.
Regional president Javier Lambán said there would be ‘no houses, nor abusive exploitations of any kind’ which would affect the mountainous terrain.
The cable car would run for 4.3 kilometres and would be able to transport 2,400 people an hour on a journey that would take 15 minutes.
It would create up to 575 jobs, giving a boost to a rural area of Aragón.
Opponents said that with less snow arriving due to climate change, they should be looking to diversify their tourism offer, with cross country skiing and winter walking on snow shoes.
They argue that the project would ‘destroy an emblematic valley for nothing’ as the ski stations would probably not be viable in 20 years’ time, with the reductions in snowfalls.
Paco Iturbe, president of the platform to defend the Aragón mountains (PDMA), told RTVE: “For anyone who knows the Canal Roya, which is an idyllic high mountain area, it would make their hair stand on end to think that they could install a cable car here with electricity pylons, tracks, buildings, etc.”
Five high-profile environmental organisations – Greenpeace, Ecologistas en Acción, SEO/BirdLife, WWF and Amigos de la Tierra – have travelled to Brussels to post a complaint about the use of EU funds, which should be for sustainable tourism.
They claim that the scheme does not fulfil the objectives to qualify for this cash and met with MEPs to denounce the project.