The Minister of Environment of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Echedey Eugenio, spoke this Monday about the latest infractions that the Civil Guard has reported on the islet of Alegranza, emphasizing the need to "raise awareness among citizens". "I care about the facts and that a natural site is destroyed; and of course, all the regulations in force should be applied so that this does not happen again", Eugenio defended.
"The rules are the same for everyone", emphasized the councilor on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, pointing out that anyone who wants to visit Alegranza must request authorization. "The Environment Department will tell you under what conditions you can go and what you can do, certainly not eat shearwaters", he continued. Specifically, this permit is necessary "whenever you want to beach the boat or enter through El Veril", he detailed, since to enter through the "public domain" area (the lighthouse dock), sometimes the authorization of the Jordán family, owner of the islet, may suffice.
The Minister of the Environment has stressed that the Cabildo applies the regulations "as harshly as possible" when it detects "breaches" in this protected area, which this Monday has become part of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. Thus, he stated that they are being "increasingly tough with sanctions and control", which is carried out by two guards who supervise the short trips daily in their boat.
Therefore, Eugenio believes that the institution should focus on the "awareness-raising work, which is true that it may not have been done". "That people are aware when they leave Órzola that they are entering a natural area that has rules and that there are consequences for not complying with those rules".
Specifically, regarding the shearwater barbecue for which a total of 20 people have been charged, Eugenio indicated that "there was a mooring permit for some people who apparently were there, according to what has been seen in the photos". As the Seprona explained at the time of its action, the agents began to suspect that the holders of that permit were doing more than just anchoring in the area and, when setting up a device to monitor them, they were surprised eating, supposedly, shearwaters around a table and under a tent in this protected area.
The councilor stressed in this regard that there are "various authorized uses" in this area of the Chinijo Archipelago. "It can be authorized to spend the night on the boats, to make small excursions, never to go down to the beach, for example", he pointed out.
Regarding the identities of those who participated in that barbecue, although he stressed that what matters to him is that the "regulations are complied with" and not "who they are", the councilor has confirmed that their identities will sooner or later be in the public domain.
The Seprona sent its complaint to the Cabildo, since its Ministry of the Environment is the body responsible for sanctioning the placement of the table, chairs and tent, which would constitute a violation of the Regulatory Plan of the archipelago. Thus, once that complaint is processed, "when the sanctions become effective" that announcement must appear in the Official Gazette of Las Palmas, and "it will be available for the knowledge of anyone who wants to see it".