ECOLOGISTS RALLY FOR AT-RISK SPECIES

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Saturday March 6 2010

HUNDREDS protested against proposed reductions to the Canaries' endangered species list in the capital Santa Cruz on Saturday.

by JAMES TWEEDIE

The demonstration organised by environmental campaigners Ben Magec – Ecologists in Action took the form of a murga – the satirical pantomime-opera popular in the Canaries since the time of fascist dictator Francisco Franco.

The festivities were led by one member of the group (pictured) wearing a giant caricature mask of Canarian minister for the environment Domingo Berriel.

It was purposely held in the city's Plaza Militar, opposite the offices of the Canarian Coalition (CC) political party – one half of the regional governing alliance with the conservative Popular Party and which proposed reducing by roughly half the archipelago's Catalogue of Endangered Species.

Ben Magec Tenerife spokesman Fran Castro accused the Canarian government of deleting endangered flora and fauna from the list to clear the way for planned roads, railways, a rival port to Santa Cruz in southern Granadilla and a golf course in the neighbouring island of La Palma.

He reiterated the group's demand that the broader scientific community – not only government advisers – be consulted on the composition of the proposed new catalogue.

The demonstration was supported by the Assembly for Tenerife (AxT), an umbrella group of community, left-wing and green organisations.

AxT has led opposition to the unpopular Playa Teresitas Mamotreto development and the PGO planning law in the capital and the Granadilla port development, organising protests of tens of thousands of people.

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