The impunity with which the buggies crush the soil of Lanzarote constitutes a real and imminent threat to the island.
Those of us who live here witnessed how a unique identity in the world was forged, an exemplary balance where progress advanced hand in hand with the protection of our nature. However, the current reality on the ground is far from that idyllic postcard. The uncontrolled boom of motorized excursions along rural roads is accelerating a process of degradation that will end up costing our territory an unpayable price.
The impact of these caravans is not an exaggeration; it is an open wound in the daily lives of our towns. Areas of enormous agricultural and landscape value suffer the constant passage of groups of vehicles that destroy the surface of traditional paths. As these routes pass, the thin layer of volcanic ash and the sandy soils that characterize our countryside are crushed under the tires, aggravating the erosion of soil that took centuries to consolidate. Furthermore, immense clouds of dust cover adjacent crops and suffocate the work of local farmers who are trying to keep the primary sector alive.
To the physical destruction of the land is added noise pollution. The strident noise of these engines breaks the characteristic peace of the Lanzarote landscape. It alters the vital and reproductive cycles of local avifauna (such as the threatened hubaras) in spaces that should be sanctuaries of tranquility, while also driving residents away from their recreational areas. Rural roads were designed for agricultural connectivity and enjoyment on foot, not to become private speed circuits for tourists eager for a quick adrenaline rush incompatible with the island's identity.
The complacency of public institutions in the face of this business model is terrifying. It is outrageous that the quick profit of a few private operators takes precedence over the quality of life of residents and the protection of a Biosphere Reserve that belongs to all of us. Selling the island as if it were an extreme adventure amusement park devalues our brand and drives away visitors who are precisely looking for calm, culture, and disconnection.
Current control measures are proving totally insufficient, and the overcrowding of these activities in black spots on the island is already an unbearable reality for neighbors.
At this point, the solution is not to sign more sustainability commitments for show, nor to draft ambiguous regulations that no one is responsible for monitoring. It is time to act with political firmness by applying forceful restrictions: reduce the licenses granted, strictly limit the permitted itineraries, and truly monitor that no motorized vehicle enters the exclusion zones.
Local authorities must be brave to put an immediate stop to this nonsense. Either we defend silence now, or the noise of money will bury the future of Lanzarote.
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