Save Canal Roya
As all of you who have been following us, either through the weekly newsletter or because you frequent this humble website, already know, for several weeks we have been sharing in the section of outstanding news, a small sample of the countless reactions that the disastrous project to join the ski resorts of Astún and Formigal, destroying Canal Roya in an irreversible way as we now know it, is arousing among the mountaineering community.
Amongst us, in this community of Pyrenees climbers, mountaineers and nature lovers, it is perhaps difficult to find any clueless person who still doesn't know what this is all about. Surely therein lies the problem, a part of it, that the rest of the population is mainly reached by the misinformation of the general media at the service of the skiing lobby (here a Rosa M.Tristán's tweet which we shared with you 15 days ago where he explained it very well).
Even so, in case anyone has just landed, I will summarise it briefly. The project is underway, an old aspiration of previous Aragonese governments, to link the ski resorts of Astún and Formigal, which are four kilometres apart, by means of a gondola lift. The project that is being sold today, and tomorrow we shall see, consists of a gondola lift that will transport skiers between the two resorts, which would involve the permanent installation of 37 bollards and a large semi-buried building in the hitherto virgin valley of Canal Roya.
An extremely vulnerable unspoilt valley of undoubted natural, cultural and scenic value.
What is the main problem, what differentiates this project from others that year after year have been carried out in ski resorts throughout the Pyrenees? In this case, the aim is to destroy an unspoilt valley of great cultural and environmental value and unquestionable beauty. A valley in the process of being declared a Natural Park by means of a decree law passed back in 2010 and which for some obvious reason has been lying dormant in a drawer all this time. A Natural Park project that now, they dare to say from the Government of Aragon, has expired.
Canal Roya, apart from being a vulnerable and unique ecosystem, which would be seriously endangered, is an ecological corridor between the southern slope and the northern slope, declared a National Park on the other side.
Public opinion against it is growing by the day.
In recent months, since the news broke, many mountain clubs, anonymous mountaineers, well-known sportsmen, environmental associations and even the FEDME has been brave enough to issue a statement on the matter, unlike the FAM, but not only that, from within the "interested" municipalities themselves, there are numerous voices against this nonsense that are asking to be heard. It is very interesting to read, and we encourage you to do so, the "Manifesto of a group of neighbours from the regions of Jacetania, Alto Gállego, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza, mountain people" that Jorge García-Dihinx shared in his blog Lickety-split.
Opposition to the project is growing as time goes by and more and more details become known, and as if that were not enough, a fortnight ago, the General Directorates of Transport and Territorial Planning issued reports (non-binding) unfavourable to the project. This is encouraging news, considering that it comes from the Government of Aragon itself, but expected, as it is an area led by its partners in the CHA, which is against the project.
The report of the Directorate General of Territorial Planning of the Government of Aragon states as we could read in el Periódico de Aragónthat this action "is not of general interest for Aragon"because, in addition to the "severe impact"that it would have on the landscape, "cannot be considered territorially balanced and is questionable in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals."and adds: "is territorially unbalanced".
A work financed with European Next Generation funds for Sustainable Tourism.
The execution of the project, as has been announced, amounts to 34 million euros, 26 of which would be provided by the European funds of the Tourism Sustainability Plans.
A barbarity, since it means that 78% of all the funds destined for Aragon would go to the construction of this megaproject. It is a comparative offence if we consider that 26 of the 33 regions of Aragon will receive nothing. A waste of money that ignores the real problems of the 33 comarcas.
Because it is wrong when the money is not enough to meet all the necessary demands, but when that money is wasted where it is not needed, it is unacceptable.
Moreover, as we said in previous paragraphs, these funds are, to say the least, "questionable" for the Sustainable Development Goals and Europe will have to review them.
Against all climate projections.
I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that those responsible for this project were branded as climate deniers. Theirs goes further than that. Note that, although the denialists reject the idea of anthropogenic climate change, they accept the natural global warming that has been occurring on earth for 10,000 years. Theirs is not denialism, not even ignorance, it is a short-sighted vision and an absolute lack of sensitivity for this unique space, which they should be the first to preserve.
We are not going to discover global warming now, but all scientific studies point to a reduction in precipitation in the form of snow. The European Union Climate Service predicts that almost all the glaciers in the Alps will have disappeared by the year 2100. What will happen by then in the Pyrenees? Mountains 1000 metres lower and much further south.
For the Pyrenees, the projections of the Pyrenees Climate Change Observatory (OPCC) announce that in 2050 there will be 50% less snow thickness than at present at altitudes of 1800 to 2200 metres, less snow will fall and the snow will remain on the surface for less time.
Alpine skiing is a business model in decline and the problem is the lack of snow. There was no snow for skiing this Christmas and at the rate we are going, we will see if it makes it to Easter. This is how Candanchú was on Wednesday, one of the four resorts to be unified.
Hundreds of jobs and a shower of millions
As is customary in these cases, the union of the two resorts is accompanied by inflated forecasts that predict the creation of more than 500 quality jobs and a return of 54 million euros in just two years. The opposite scenario is also well known: without the merger, the valley will die and its inhabitants will have nothing to eat.
Well, nobody doubts the economic engine that skiing represents in these valleys, indeed, it is calculated that the ski industry represents 7% of the GDP of Aragon, a community with one million three hundred thousand inhabitants. Why doesn't this have the right impact on the lives of the people of the mountains, and why doesn't the union of resorts?
The answer is quite simple. The main interest of the project lies in the real estate speculation that is always behind any self-respecting megalomaniac project and which will not exactly benefit the inhabitants of the valley, who will see the price of housing continue to rise. The main beneficiaries, needless to say, will be the big external investors. Of course, it could also be that, in order to reach the extra profit of 54 million they are talking about, they are thinking of raising the price of the ski pass.
Does not contribute to deseasonalisation
The joining of Astún and Formigal will not lengthen the ski season, it will not make it snow more, nor will it increase the skiable surface area. It is not even a question of going higher in search of the increasingly scarce snow at 2,000 metres, the area where these resorts are located.
In short, it does not help to deseasonalise but, on the contrary, to saturate a destination that is reaching its limits. You only have to go to the slopes on a snowy weekend to see for yourself.
The curious idea that is circulating is that the union of resorts will attract skiers from other countries and other autonomous communities who will fill hotels and slopes during the week. Even if some of this is true and some unwary skiers are attracted by the slogan of the 300 kilometres of skiable area, what will happen when they find themselves in Panticosa and see that to ski in Candanchú, they have to take a bus to Formigal, then a cable car, then go down to Astún, take another chairlift and then go down to Candanchú.
The 300 kilometres of tracks are already there. There is no need to destroy Canal Roya. Go one weekend to Astún-Candanchú and the next to Formigal-Panticosa, you will contribute twice as much to the economy of the area.
The future-present problem is the lack of snow.
Honestly, I think that rather than extending or joining resorts, we should be talking about who is going to bear the cost of removing all this junk when there is no more snow.
Because the future of these valleys, for those who understand the future beyond oneself, does not lie in a business model that has already exceeded the carrying capacity of both valleys and is about to expire, but in conserving and knowing how to make the most of the privileged natural environment that has been given to them.
A privileged natural environment that does not belong to us and which we have the obligation to conserve and pass on to future generations. A responsibility that Mr Lambán has obviously grown too big for him.
Because what is at stake here is to decide which model we want in the Pyrenees, a profitable model that looks to the future, respectful of the landscape and its inhabitants, or a huge amusement park where the only thing that matters is economic interests. Is it possible to put a price on Canal Roya?
Finally, if you haven't already done so, you can sign up at change.org the petition: Don't destroy the valley of Canal Roya by linking the ski resorts.
And if you want, you can follow all the news about what is happening around this issue on the web of Save Canal Roya and on their social networks.
Anyone who has been to Canal Roya can imagine the nonsense that is this...
Let's see if, between all of us, we manage to give visibility to this barbarity so that people can see what is "really" going to be done here, beyond what the "media" publishes, which sells it to you as the work that will save Aragon.
Cheer up, comrades.
Pyrenean valley with a resort grows in population. Without population it dies. What do we do? Why don't we protest in Andorra against what they have done there?
Yes, it is true. That skiing is a very important economic engine is not disputed but, in these 2 valleys there are already 4 resorts. The question is whether the growth can be unlimited and who would benefit at this point.
Andorra. Of course, if the protest does not come from within the country itself, as in the case of Canal Roya, it is difficult for anyone from outside to join in. In the end, at least in my case, one defends what is close to one's heart, what one knows. I imagine that there are other Canal Royas in the world.
It is good that you give the example of Andorra because it is precisely a question of deciding whether that is what we want for our Pyrenees. Even more so when we know that the snow is decreasing year after year.
And if there was snow, would you be in favour of the project? No. Neither. Because environmentalism in Spain is a way of life, a way of being morally superior and of appropriating nature. It is not even argued how the 37 pylons will damage the valley. The local people who make their living from skiing don't matter. Environmentalism decides what can and cannot be done in the mountains.
haha, don't be mistaken, this is not a matter of 4 ecologists and no, with snow we wouldn't be in favour of the project either. Just look at the slope extensions that are made every year, the Astún and Candanchú link will be made in 2024. And recently some slopes were extended in Formigal. In the case of Astún and Candanchú, the union will hardly be noticed as the mountain is already quite humanised and a chairlift, more than less, almost goes unnoticed. Canal Roya, as you will know if you have been there or not, is not the same case.
The union of Canal Roya is crossing the red line. I suppose you have one too. You say how would 37 pylons, a cable line with hanging chairs, a power station... Well, it's quite clear how they would affect a virgin valley like this one, it would cease to be one. It is a question of the model we want.
You also say, the people there who make a living from skiing. There are already 4 ski resorts and in order to fill the jobs that are generated there is a need for workers from outside. When certain limits are exceeded, you can see what happens in very touristic places like Venice, Barcelona, Ibiza, etc. What was initially a positive thing becomes a negative thing. Large hotel chains move in and compete to the advantage of local businesses, displacing them. It also happens that there is an increase in the number of apartments, many of them large hotels and second homes that end up being advertised on Airbnb and other sites like that. And you don't need a receptionist or anything, just someone to clean them. I'm afraid the growth in these valleys would follow that direction. Brick and mortar and enriching outside capital. Apart from what I said in the article about the rising cost of housing and blah blah blah.
You were also saying, appropriating nature. It is not precisely those of us who are against this nonsense who are trying to appropriate this space, but quite the opposite.
Of course, to continue to insist on snow, is to deepen seasonalisation, and we already know the forecasts...