MORE than 200 families are being forced out of their homes to make way for a turtle dwelling.
Plans for a 500 hectare turtle reserve have been submitted as part of the planned AVE route from Murcia – Almeria at the expense of houses and farmland.
Residents in Cuevas del Almanzora have now launched a petition to stop their relocation and have garnered more than 2,200 signatories.
“Our grandparents and parents have always lived with these turtles, which we consider part of our lives and our environment,” Spanish resident Blas Guevara Martínez said. “Now a group of politicians and experts want to put 200 families of our homes. The are destroying our livelihood.”
He added: “We want to continue living in our homes and to bring up our children where we have always lived.”
Instead the petition is demanding that the turtle reserve is built on an alternative 500 hectare plot where nobody currently lives.
To view the petition search ‘salvar las vidas de 200 familias de Los Lobos (Almería)’ on change.org
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