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At first glance, it might seem strange that an environmental group would oppose a declaration meant to protect the Cabo de Palos Lighthouse. But Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action) argue that the protection as a Site of Cultural Interest does not go far enough. In fact, they say, it could even open the door for the iconic building to be used as a hotel.

 

Guaranteed public access and full respect for the lighthouse’s integrity and its role as a maritime landmark are what the organisation considers the real protection. That is why they have filed an administrative appeal against its declaration as a Site of Cultural Interest, arguing that the current text does not explicitly rule out turning it into a business.

 

On its website, Ecologists in Action explain that this appeal is part of their ongoing efforts to legally defend the Cabo de Palos lighthouse, which they describe as “a public heritage site, a memory of the people and part of a unique natural space”.

 

Rumblings about turning the emblematic lighthouse into a commercial property are nothing new. Back in July 2017, the company Faros de Levante SL requested permission from the Port of Cartagena to open the lighthouse as a hotel but the permit was ultimately denied because the lighthouse was technically still in active use.

 

Since then, residents, fishermen and citizen platforms such as Procabo and Save the Lighthouse have worked together to stop its privatisation. Demonstrations under the slogan ‘The lighthouse is not for sale’ and more than 5,000 signatures managed to block that first attempt, though the threat of commercialisation still lingers.

 

But the lighthouse was only actually declared a Site of Cultural Interest in February of this year.

 

“It was an important step,” Ecologists in Action acknowledge, but warn that the Royal Decree still allows hotel use in the site and its surroundings. In their view, this clause conflicts with true protection and leaves the lighthouse vulnerable to privatisation.

 

The group is clear that they reject using the term "sustainable tourism" as a justification for yet another wave of urban development along a coast already crowded with buildings. They are calling for a change in the lighthouse’s future so it can host public projects such as an interpretation centre, a museum or educational activities, rather than private uses that would cut the community out of its own heritage.

 

Protecting the surrounding land is also a priority for the environmental group given the area’s extraordinary ecological value. The waters around the lighthouse are home to species like the fin whale and the loggerhead turtle, while the land provides resting points for migratory birds including flycatchers, chiffchaffs and nightingales. Other birds such as cormorants, shearwaters and gulls are regularly seen flying overhead. The vegetation is home to protected and threatened species, making this a unique ecosystem worth preserving.

 

“As in other struggles, the organisation believes that the union of neighbourhood, social and environmental forces has been key and must be preserved. Residents, for their part, insist that only in this way will the declaration of a Cultural Heritage Site guarantee real protection and that 'the public remains public.'

 

“Therefore, Ecologists in Action will continue to support the vigil and the legal defence of the lighthouse, as it has done so far, so that this maritime icon remains a meeting place and heritage site for all citizens, and not a business closed to the public for private profit,” the organisation concluded.

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena