Let's save the Pyrenees

Environmental organizations demand the stoppage of the union of ski resorts in the Aragonese Pyrenees.

• The Provincial Council of Huesca has presented a project by ARAMON and the Commonwealth of the Arán Valley to unite the ski resorts of Candanchú, Astún and Formigal with Next Generation European funds.
• Environmental organizations denounce that these funds are to promote another type of sustainable tourism adapted to the new scenarios of climate emergency and loss of biodiversity; and that they must ensure that investments do not generate environmental impact
• Furthermore, they warn of the serious consequences it would have on the habitats of one of the most unique high mountain places, a refuge for numerous species of flora and fauna.

. Thus, they demand that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism not finance these examples of unsustainable tourism and that the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge evaluate whether it complies with the principles of the European Next Generation funds.

The Provincial Council of Huesca has presented to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism a proposal to finance, through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), a project by ARAMON and the Commonwealth of the Aran Valley to unite the ski resorts of Huesca. Candachú, Astún and Formigal, whose cost amounts to 34 million euros, which joins the approximately 30 million euros that have already been requested in the previous phases of the project. The Secretary of State for Tourism himself has confirmed, in statements to the media, that the project could receive financing close to that amount.

For the five state environmental organizations, Friends of the Earth, Ecologists in Action, Greenpeace, SEO/BirdLife and WWF, this project should not be carried out due to its negative environmental impacts and because it would continue an unsustainable development model, which does not generate quality employment and which is destined to disappear in the short term due to the weather conditions caused by climate change.

Environmental organizations warn that the construction of this connection infrastructure between ski resorts would have an irreparable impact on the landscape and on the species of fauna and flora of this Pyrenean area, especially in the area called Canal Roya, a large glacial valley, at the foot of Anayet peak, of extraordinary beauty and natural values. The project includes erecting two frameworks of large metal pilasters, anchored in concrete, to support the cables through which cable cars would run in both directions. In addition, it is intended to build a service and evacuation road along the entire route and a service station would be built at the bottom of the valley.

Environmental organizations recall that this valuable natural space has a procedure open for the creation of a new natural park, called Anayet-Partacua, based on its unique landscape of glacial origin, its exceptional high mountain vegetation and its unique fauna and that, until For this procedure to be resolved there should be no intervention in the area.

WWF, SEO/BirdLife, Greenpeace, Ecologistas en Acción and Friends of the Earth denounce that this project that is masked as “sustainable tourism” does not comply with the principle of “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH), a condition sine qua non established by the European Union (EU) for the allocation of European Next Generation funds that finance the PRTR, which requires justifying that the funded projects will not negatively impact any of the six environmental objectives defined by the EU:

1. Climate change mitigation.
2. Adaptation to climate change.
3. Sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources.
4. Transition towards a circular economy.
5. Pollution prevention and control.
6. Protection and recovery of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Environmental groups are convinced that the project fails to meet all environmental objectives, so the Spanish Government will be forced to return the funds. Environmental organizations state that: “In addition to the local impacts on biodiversity, the creation of new infrastructure and roads would mean an increase in the flow of vehicles, which impedes the fight against climate change. We are going to report this proposal to the European Commission. if necessary, and there is no doubt that, if it has been financed with European money, the EU will force its return."

Contrary to the new climate scenario

Furthermore, in a context of climate change, with a high risk of snowfall according to the predictions of the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory (OPCC), maintaining ski facilities means betting on artificial innovation as the only strategy, which puts at risk wetlands and represents an increase in energy consumption. Instead, considering the diagnosis of the OPCC itself, the ski resorts in the Aragonese mountains must face without delay their adaptation to climate change and the progressive reduction of snow. To maintain current employment they must reformulate their project, diversifying and correcting their tourism offer towards a sustainable model. The possible job losses from this change in the model should be given the same consideration as other sectors of activity (energy, automobile...) that will undergo reconversion to carry out a just transition. The destruction of this area compromises the future of sustainable tourism, new employment opportunities and quality in the area. The use of the European Recovery Fund must be directed to this objective, diversifying and seasonally adjusting employment and promoting the production and management of local resources, prioritizing economic resources destined for job creation, provision of services and quality of life that favor settlement. of the population, especially young women, as the backbone and demographic development axis in these mountains. “There is no other way to establish a stable population in the territory and correct the current precariousness of employment around the stations,” the organizations say.

NGOs consider that it is urgent to promote another development model in the territory, with the participation of the local population, to undertake initiatives capable of generating employment without compromising the valuable natural resources of the area. Therefore, these organizations conclude that insisting on this tourism model does not make sense, and represents a waste of public funds that try to prolong the agony of the snow business in this valuable area of the Aragonese Pyrenees.