The subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, participated this morning in the opening ceremony of the landscaping of the Path of the Zarzo River Waterfalls, in the city of Irixoa. The intervention, promoted by the Reserve of Biosphere Mariñas Coruñesas in collaboration with the City of Irixoa, is part of a pilot project included in the Stock Exchange of Projects for Decarbonization and Improvement of Destination, within the framework of the Sustainable Tourism Plan of the Reserve of Biosphere Mariñas Coruñesas, and was financed with Next Generation funds of the European Union through the Government of Spain, with an investment of about 15,000 euros.
At the inauguration was the mayor, Antonio Deibe; the director of Promotion of the Tourism Agency of Galicia, María del Carmen Pita, and the president of the Board of Directors of the Biosphere Reserve Mariñas Coruñesas, José Antonio Santiso.
In his speech, Rivas stressed that “what we inaugurate here today is much more than a work of improvement in a natural environment, it is a firm commitment to the interior as a tourist destination of quality”, adding that this path is “a place to walk, to look, to listen to the sound of water when falling, to recognize native species, to remember what life was like in the mills and to feel part of a landscape that we want to protect”.
The subdelegate added value to the wealth of the Galician rural territory and pointed out that “Galicia is not only coast. Galicia is also mountain, it is river, it is forest, it is living and silent heritage that asks to be rediscovered. And Irixoa, with spaces like this, has enormous potential to offer a more sustainable and land-connected tourism alternative.”
The project included the extension of 700 meters of soft path, following historical trails that gave access to old mills and plots. The performance respects the riverside vegetation, eliminates invasive species such as the eucalyptus and incorporates soft solutions such as stairs and wooden walkways, facilitating responsible access to the waterfalls and improving the experience for visitors. In addition, interpretative signage was integrated to publicize the environmental values and ethnographic heritage of the place.
Rivas highlighted the collaboration between administrations, local entities and neighborhood as key to the success of the intervention. “Sustainability here is not just a concept, it is a reality that materializes in every step we take to make tourism compatible with the protection of the environment,” he said.
The subdelegate thanked the people and institutions involved in the project for their efforts and appealed to take care of and value this new resource. “We are recovering not only a path, but also a way to relate to our territory. May this path be walked with respect, curiosity and pride.” It ended.