Lanzarote has always been strict with regards to laws protecting the island and its environment, and recently the council has toughened fines up to 4,500 euros for serious infractions in areas of high ecological sensitivity. Official data has revealed a change in processed complaints. This pressure is particularly evident in the rise of buggy tourist excursions on rural land. The vehicles are prohibited from circulating in protected natural areas on unpaved roads, and there has already been a serious administrative sanction of 4,500 euros against an active tourism company in the Los Ajaches Natural Monument. Another file was initiated against a convoy of six buggies in the Barranco de Las Piletas, in Guatiza, for traveling without authorization through a critical breeding area for endangered endemic avifauna, directly affecting the habitats of the Egyptian vulture, the Lesser Kestrel , and the Barn Owl . Martín warned that the Cabildo «is already studying the legal feasibility of prohibiting these excursions for environmental reasons and for the damage they cause to the traditional agricultural sector of ‘ enarenados ‘ by suffocating the plant.» In La Geria, the use of drones without authorization has resulted in fines of between 360 and 600 euros, highlighting a proposed fine of 3,001 euros for an offender who performed a ski descent down a protected mountain. For its part, the Chinijo Archipelago Natural Park concentrates fines of 150 euros for illegal camping on Bajo Risco Beach, fines of 90 euros for making fires, and fines of up to 900 euros for cycling off the designated trails. In the La Corona Reserve, special devices against unauthorized access to the Jameo de la Puerta Falsa accumulate multiple individual sanctions of 120 euros.
Tougher Fines to Protect Lanzarote
