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A broken signpost Mujeres en las veredes
Increase in vandalism in the Sierra Blanca could pose a risk to walkers

Increase in vandalism in the Sierra Blanca could pose a risk to walkers

The damaged posts and arrows are already being replaced by Marbella town hall's environment department

Friday, 11 February 2022, 12:45

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According to a local women's group there has been a noticeable increase in vandalism on signposts and arrows in the Sierra Blanca in recent weeks, with many being broken or covered in graffiti.

The association ‘Mujeres en las Veredas’ (Women on the paths) has raised the alarm and posted photos on social networks to denounce the damage. The president of the group, Dolores Navarro, explained, "Whenever we go out into the countryside we always carry a bag and pick up the rubbish we find, we report large fallen logs or broken signs and we notify the town hall’s environment department.”

In 2009 the association started a project to create trails in the mountains. "One year we would open the path and the next we would mark it," says Dolores, who says that this is not the first time that arrows have had to be replaced.

Now the town hall’s environment department have stepped in and they have encountered the same problem, which they say has increased recently. "In the last few days, graffiti has been painted on numerous arrows and between ten and twelve signposts have been uprooted and left lying on the sides or in the bushes," explained the general director of the area, María Victoria Martín-Lomeña.

They are being replaced, but the job isn’t easy due to the location of the signs. They rely on the help of the local fire brigade and Martín-Lomeña said that “Each sign they remove requires the help of several people working for a whole day."

In the last two years, the number of signs has increased from 39 to 107 with the coordinates of the place so that in the event of an accident, the victim or the person accompanying them can be easily and accurately located by the rescue services. "The signage work has been done in collaboration with the fire brigade and emergency services. If we have put up a sign it is because we know it is necessary," she says. The disappearance of a sign could pose "a serious danger for those who don't know the area and they could get lost because they can't find it".

"Again and again we call on the civic responsibility of users, although those who go out into the mountains are usually people with a high level of awareness," she acknowledges.

Navarro recognises that a great deal of work has been done over the years to raise awareness, so much so that "now the sierra is cleaner, there is less rubbish, although there is always someone who leaves a soft drink can or causes damage,” she said.

She would like to see the creation of a specialised post to manage the Sierra Blanca. "The entrances to the sierra need to be guarded and a type of forestry service that can walk the paths and look after the roads needs to be created.”

Martín-Lomeña pointed out that the environment team “provides a service for the control and maintenance of the paths. In addition, we count on the collaboration of hikers or groups such as Mujeres en las Veredas, who let us know of any incidents by email and we proceed immediately to repair the damage detected.” However, she acknowledges that "it is not possible to have surveillance everywhere 24 hours a day," although she said that the town hall team would look into Navarro’s proposal.

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