The Mediterranean Wetlands Alliance has launched a campaign to protect the Ulday Biosphere Reserve from the extension of the Guggenheim Museum, which has been trying to expand its Bilbao outpost.
A social media explains the situation: “Plan to expand the special areas of the Guggenheim Museum, undermine the risks of biosphere reserves, undermine the integrity of biodiversity, water quality and the protection framework.”
The link related to the post is a petition that has been signed by approximately 2400 people and is calculated at the time of this post.
The petition states: “This is an externally imposed project, unresponsive to the needs of residents in the area and is intended to benefit only from a few. This is also irrelevant to the protection, social and economic goals of the reserve.
The proposed museum plans span the towns of Genica and Urdibe. It is expected to attract at least 140,000 tourists each year.
This has been a topic of debate since its initial introduction, as its development can help revitalize the region economically and culturally, but in the process can cause great damage to protected natural areas. However, with the increase in tourism, potential new infrastructure could derail the protected status of biosphere reserves and completely destroy the reserve’s ecosystem, home to numerous wildlife, including migratory birds.
