Ecologistas en Acción protest in front of the Regional Office of the Canarian Government in Madrid, against the endorsement by the Canarian Parliament of the Bill on the Canarian Protected Species New Catalogue, promoted by the political parties Coalición Canaria and Partido Popular who form the present Canarian government. Ecologistas en Acción thinks that this Bill entails a withdrawal of the protection of many species, lacks scientific rigor and means an unprecedented reduction in the protection of the biodiversity of the Canary Islands.

Ecologistas en Acción has shown today its outright rejection of the Bill on the Canarian Protected Species New Catalogue organizing a protest in front of Regional Office of the Canarian Government in Madrid. According to Ecologistas en Acción, the Bill has been drawn up behind the citizens» back and against the scientific community's judgement, and its only goal is to reduce the protection of many endangered species, in order to overcome the legal obstacles that are blocking the construction of big and unnecessary infrastructures, notably the Granadilla Commercial Harbour.

While there is wide international concern about the necessity to save the biodiversity of the planet, seriously endangered by human activity; while we are celebrating the Biodiversity World Year, declared by the United Nations Assembly; while in three days we will be celebrating the Biodiversity World Day; the Canarian Government acts in the opposite direction, reducing the protection of half of the endangered species presently protected.

The Coalición Canaria political party has intentionally created a new category named “Of interest for the Canarian Ecosystems” that deserves special attention. That category encloses almost 200 species that will only be protected if they are inside a Protected Area and only when there are no development projects of public interest. This endangers the wide natural heritage of the islands, which is an exceptional contribution to the biodiversity of the planet. There is only one reason to create this new category: to overcome the legal obstacles obstructing development projects of doubtful public interest, getting rid of the obligation to preserve certain endangered species that will be included in this new category. An example are the Sebadales, whose protection will be removed to permit the construction of Granadilla's Harbour.

Many scientific organizations have rejected the Bill, from the internationally well-known UICN to national organizations such as the Islands Ecology and Evolution Group of the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Also many non-scientific organizations, for example 13 Town Councils and 4 Cabildos (that's the name of the institutions that govern in each of the Canary Islands, 7 in total) have passed motions opposing the Bill, which questions whether the members of the Canarian Parliament are really representing the citizens when voting for the biggest attack on biodiversity during the last 30 years, of democracy, of Spanish history.