Desert Watch, Ecologistas en Acción Lanzarote, Papacría, and GREFA warn that, despite being in the summer season, they have registered and communicated to the competent authorities the existence of Cream-colored Courser chicks in the Jable and the start of the Houbara's breeding season in Playa Quemada, both areas included in the Rally Isla de los Volcanes 2026.
These groups had already requested to reschedule this sporting event due to its impact on these protected species.
The signatory organizations affirm that the sightings of Cream-colored Courser chicks and Houbara courtship episodes these days coincide with published scientific evidence, particularly from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which states that the reproductive cycle of steppe birds is very flexible in the Canary Islands as they adapt to the conditions dictated by rainfall. “There is still plenty of food in the countryside.
This is how steppe birds compensate for very dry years, in which their reproduction is more difficult.” “That is why the protection of their habitats should not depend solely on the time of year, but on the permanent ecological value they possess as areas for reproduction, feeding, shelter, and foraging.”
The environmental groups insist, as they have done in previous years, that “the circulation of vehicles at high speed, the increase in human traffic, noise, and dust can affect the behavior of the protected birds present in the area; not only the Cream-colored Courser and the Canarian Houbara, but also the Canarian Raven, the Eleonora's Falcon, or the Barbary Falcon are seriously affected by such activities.”
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.