Yzabelle Bostyn
LOCALS have urged authorities to reopen a Costa del Sol nature reserve before it is put up for sale.
A petition to reopen the Ojen EcoReserva has reached 100,000 signatures.
The reserve is one of the biggest conservation areas in Malaga but was forced to close in 2022 after Junta environmental officers found alleged failures in the park.
Since 2016, visitors could spend a day in nature and even pet the animals, which included deer, mountain goats and wild boars.
The ‘idyllic’ park was a far cry from the landscapes burnt from wildfires that volunteers first restored in 2012.
In 2016, local Antonio Calvo came up with the idea of establishing an eco reserve alongside the environmental group Pinsapo and the ecotourism company Andalucia Ecotour.
Then, just six years into their work, Calvo was issued a fine of €130,000 for ‘failures’ in the park and although this was later reduced to €65,200 on appeal, he was still forced to close.
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“This is one of the most beautiful projects in all of Andalucia. We were lucky to be able to transform the hunting area into an ecological reserve,” he told the Olive Press.
“We created jobs by protecting nature and have been punished for it.”
Amongst the alleged offenses was storing a 1000-litre water tank on the property, which provided water for the animals in times of drought.
Despite the three orders he has received to leave the site, he refuses to go, saying the animals ‘cannot survive’ otherwise.
For two years, he has been doing everything he can to get the 350 kilos of food needed to feed the animals when drought conditions make supplies scarce.
The Junta has also announced it wants to sell the park, but cannot do so until a judge gives the green light.
Either way, Calvo has no intention of leaving.
