The drafting of the Canary Islands Biodiversity and Natural Resources Bill has generated a strong response from the Animalist Party PACMA , which has submitted formal objections to the Directorate General for the Natural Environment. The party argues that the current text ignores scientific and ethical advancements that recognize animals as sentient beings, focusing its criticism on the use of hunting and population control through lethal measures in the archipelago.
PACMA questions the "urgent processing" of the legislation, arguing that the lack of speed in previous versions of the text contradicts the need to shorten the public participation period now. The party demands that animal welfare become the guiding principle of the law, rejecting terms like "invasive species" due to their stigmatizing nature and proposing ethical alternatives to the eradication of wildlife, especially in sensitive areas of southern Gran Canaria where biodiversity is critical.
One of the biggest points of contention is the management of feral cat colonies . PACMA warns that the ban on feeding cats in protected areas clashes with state legislation and blocks the TNR (trap, neuter, and return) method. The party argues that integrating hunting as a planning tool within a biodiversity law is a conceptual contradiction, maintaining that hunting generates ecological imbalances rather than protecting island ecosystems.
The animal rights group's proposal urges the Canary Islands government to abandon its population control model based on killing animals and transform zoos and exhibition centers into sanctuaries and rehabilitation reserves. PACMA concludes that the draft bill must be reformulated with a preventative and ethical approach, eliminating the sale of exotic species for hunting and prioritizing respect for animal sentience as the foundation of environmental conservation in the islands.
