Greenpeace has formalized this Tuesday before the National Court the lawsuit against the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Democratic Challengeas well as against the Basque Government, which has appeared as a defendant, for reduce from 100 to 20 meters the easement for the protection of the public maritime-terrestrial domain of Murueta (Vizcaya), one of the sites chosen for the possible construction of a new Guggenheim Museum in Urdaibai.
As reported by the environmental organization, this measure is “illegal, since fails to comply with the provisions of the Coastal Law“. “Not only that, it would also violate European legislation, given that the project would be located in the Urdaibai marshes, an area integrated into the Natura 2000 Network and declared of special protection“, he warned.
Precisely, The protection of biodiversity is being discussed these days in Colombiawhere COP16 of the Biological Diversity Conference is held, and this Biosphere Reserve (the only Basque one) is Wetland of International Importance.
The procedure before the National Court, which is formalized today, began on May 23, 2024 when Greenpeace presented the dispute against the Ministerial Order that approved said measure. With this demand, which is based on the principle of diversion of power, “one more step is taken against this museum project which, as is known from the media, would cover more than 61,000 m2 with two new headquarters, one in Guernica , in the old Dalia factory, and another in Astilleros de Murueta, on land reclaimed from the marshes“.
Both locations would be linked by a path that would run through this protected area and “very sensitive to people trafficsince the promoters speak of 140,000 visitors in the summer months, when the museum would open,” noted the environmental group.
The Coastal Law demands that the maritime-terrestrial public domain be protected and recovered but in this case the Ministry, “incomprehensibly, does just the opposite. Furthermore, according to the forecasts of the IPCCthe area where the project is located is floodable, due to the rise in sea level that will be generated by climate change, so Greenpeace considers that it should not be the place of reception of any project like this,” he stated.
For this reason, Greenpeace has demanded the immediate stoppage of this project. “The local population needs a development strategy aligned with the wonderful natural environment of Urdaibai and a culture for all but without destroying nature. “You cannot bet on projects that respond to private interests, but paid for with a public budget, without citizen participation and that go to their detriment, as is the case,” he declared. Lorea Floresspokesperson for Greenpeace in Euskadi.
This demand is part of the campaign by Greenpeace and other groups, such as the Guggenheim Urdaibai STOP Platformto stop this project, considering that it puts at risk an area that, “due to its high ecological value, should be specially protected“.
After the presentation of the lawsuit by Greenpeace, the National Court will transfer the writing both to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and to the Basque Government to respond to it.
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