The Grup d’Estudis de la Naturalesa (GEN) is against the proposal of the Consell, included in the regulation of administrative simplification that is currently on public exhibition, to regulate the tourist rental of rooms in farmhouses, as well as the so-called farm-stays, in order to obtain an income that complements agricultural activity and allows the conservation of rural heritage. GEN demands the withdrawal of the regulation and a study of the real capacity of the island and a plan to reduce the number of tourist accommodation based on objectives that guarantee the sustainability of natural resources and the forecasts of international scientific committees on climate change.
It also calls for a study to diversify the economy and the necessary public budget allocations to guarantee the economic viability of the primary sector, energy self-sufficiency and the protection of water resources.
In their allegations on the regulation of the Consell, the ecologists recall that Ibiza “suffers one of the highest tourist pressures in the world, with a ratio of more than 20 tourists per resident”, which subjects resources and infrastructures to “an unbearable impact” which, moreover, “is aggravated by the increasingly evident consequences of climate change”.
Apart from the “worsening of environmental indicators”, the ecologists also point out in a statement that “tourist abuse” also has “a great social impact”, referring to the decline in the supply of rental housing and “the serious increase in the cost of supply”. Added to this is the seasonal nature of work, which leads to the emergence of “illegal camping areas that many workers use as housing during the season”.
“Misleading title”
The GEN argues that the Consell de Ibiza “knows all this perfectly well” and, “under the misleading title” of measures to revitalize the rural sector, the promotion of the conservation of farms and the maintenance of farmhouses, “all the island government team is doing” is “evading its responsibility and increasing the problem of excess tourist accommodation on the island and the shortage of permanent or seasonal housing for seasonal workers”.
Spending on mega-infrastructures
The environmental group asserts that if part of the expenditure on “mega-infrastructures” (roads, port, airport, water desalination…) were to be spent on the conservation of the traditional architectural heritage or on aid to the primary sector, “it would not be necessary to invent new formulas to give this sector economic viability”, and that in reality, “they only make the serious problems suffered by the island even worse”.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.