UNESCO questions El Retiro’s management and demands urgent changes

The document identifies significant shortcomings in planning: a lack of coordination between administrations, an absence of clear criteria for conserving heritage and a poorly defined strategy for intervening in buildings, fountains or sculptures. One of the most critical points is tourist pressure. With more than 18 million visits a year and very high daily peaks, the report warns that there are no concrete measures to manage flows or guarantee coexistence among residents, visitors and the park's different uses. This situation is already causing wear in sensitive areas. Shortcomings in environmental protection are also highlighted. Experts call for limiting the expansion of terraces, controlling the intensive use of paths and lawns and strengthening the care of vegetation and wildlife. Added to this is the lack of resident participation in drawing up the plan, a longstanding demand of associations in the surrounding area.

The City Council has announced that it will review the document to adapt it to international requirements, while the opposition is calling for deeper changes. At stake is not only the management of the park, but the continuation of the recognition of the Landscape of Light as World Heritage.

For Madrid residents, this debate directly affects one of their most everyday spaces: a place to walk, exercise or switch off in the very centre. The decisions made will influence the balance between tourism and neighbourhood use, as well as the conservation of an environment key to quality of life in the city. In the coming months, attention will focus on the new version of the Master Plan and the response of international bodies. The challenge will be clear: to preserve El Retiro as a symbol of Madrid without it losing its essence or its historical and natural value.