Drago Fuerteventura proposes deal over Cueva de la Negra: family concession and heritage interpretation

Drago Fuerteventura has proposed a compromise between the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the family who own the house at Cueva de la Negra, in Pájara, allowing them to continue using the property.

Under the proposed agreement, the family would receive a concession to use the property privately for between 30 and 50 years. In return, the site would become a place to showcase the ethnographic heritage of Fuerteventura and Jandía.

This would allow the family to continue using the property while giving the people of Fuerteventura a space to learn about the island’s history.

Drago Fuerteventura also proposes that Pájara Town Council and Fuerteventura Island Council work together to install signage near the hut, integrated into the landscape, to explain the context in which the structure was built, provided there is no impact on the surrounding area.

As Drago Fuerteventura spokesperson Aceysele Chacón put it: “Historically, people in Fuerteventura suffered such severe hunger that they had to maintain huts in different parts of the island in order to make use of the natural resources available in each area.”

Aceysele also noted that “the house at Cueva de la Negra is not an isolated feature. These settlements are spread across the island and are essential to explaining and understanding how our ancestors lived”.

The risk of tourist overcrowding

An investigation by Drago Fuerteventura found that the land used to access the house at Cueva de la Negra is linked to the company Lopesan.

According to the Ministry of Finance’s cadastral mapping, although the hut stands on land belonging to the Coastal Authority, access by any route is via a plot owned by Punta del Sol S.A., a company linked to Eustasio López, the owner of Lopesan.

On this issue, Chacón said: “At Drago Fuerteventura, we fear that the sudden interest in demolishing the hut at Cueva de la Negra may conceal an agenda linked to tourism development in this natural area.”

“We already have other examples on the island of protected natural areas where hotel concessions have been granted, as happened in the Corralejo Dunes Natural Park. A hotel concession in Jandía Natural Park is therefore more than possible,” Chacón continued.

However, although Drago Fuerteventura has documents proving ownership of the plot, Chacón clarified that “for now, there is no evidence of a tourism project for the area, so we will remain vigilant”.