Más País convert El Pardo into a national park and stop being the King's "private hunting ground"

MADRID, 21 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Más País-Verdes-Equo wants the Monte de El Pardo, which houses the Zarzuela Palace and whose ownership is National Heritage, to stop being the King's "private hunting ground" and become a national park and, with this objective, it has presented a non-law proposal in Congress.

This was announced by the leader of Más País, Íñigo Errejón, at a press conference in the Lower House in which he recalled that, despite being a public heritage land, that is, "of all Spaniards", it has "the 95% of its territory fenced off" by a "medieval privilege from the 15th century".

According to the initiative, collected by Europa Press, El Monte de El Pardo has 16,000 hectares, but only 900 are publicly accessible and have various urbanizations, including Mingorrubio, and several sports and restaurant complexes. "The remaining 15,100 are fenced off and have absolutely restricted access for citizens since Felipe II conceived it as a royal hunting ground, which continues to be its current function," he adds.

But, according to Errejón, the time has come to put an end to this "anomaly" and to turn this land into a national park "properly protected, with controlled access so that everyone can enjoy it and not just those who believe that They have blue blood."

Specifically, the initiative registered by Más Mádrid-Verdes-Equo contemplates that within a period of three months the Government draws up a Plan for the Management of Natural Resources with a view to their maximum protection under Spanish law.

It also urges him to start the candidacy of this enclave to become a national park and that the Autonomous Organization for National Parks, the Community of Madrid and the city council of the capital be integrated into its board of trustees.

Likewise, they stress that given its proximity to the city of Madrid, the plan for public use of the future park "must guarantee the tranquility of the mountain, through a reduced public visit regime that does not harm the ecosystem, concentrating its objectives on research, conservation and environmental education.