Tourist investigated for illegal camping in protected Teno park
The Cabildo of Tenerife’s Digital Environmental Surveillance Unit (UVAD) is investigating a tourist for illegal camping and lighting fires on at least two occasions in the Teno Rural Park. The young man, who goes by Sam Daniels on social media (@sam10daniels on Instagram), posted several videos of a recent stay on the island in which he is seen camping and lighting campfires in areas where such activities are strictly prohibited.
UVAD officials downloaded the videos and have identified the individual, who now faces disciplinary proceedings that could result in fines exceeding €1,000, depending on the damage caused and the severity of the offences. The tourist had arrived on the island from Morocco, where he had been on a motorcycle tour. It is believed he came to Tenerife to renew his residency permit for the North African kingdom, before returning to Morocco after spending a few days on the island.
Marine biologist speaks out
The Digital Environmental Surveillance Unit were not the only ones to spot the violations. Tenerife-based marine biologist Pablo Martín, known online as Pablo Dive (@PabloMartinDive), also called out the tourist’s behaviour on his Instagram profile. “We need to report this and bring it to light, because if those of us who live here, who love these islands and try to care for them, don’t speak up, nobody will,” said the island-based science communicator, who is committed to nature conservation.
Martín added: “@sam10daniels came to the Canary Islands to camp illegally, he lit campfires in the middle of the countryside in areas where it is completely forbidden, and then he shared it as if it were normal. Then we wonder how so many fires start.” According to @PabloMartinDive, “the worrying thing is that often these kinds of acts go unpunished, either due to a lack of resources, the difficulty of monitoring certain areas, or simply because the law is still too lenient with those who put such fragile natural spaces at risk.”
Following messages from the marine biologist and other islanders condemning his actions, the tourist removed the videos from his Instagram profile. However, UVAD had already downloaded them and launched an investigation.
A new digital surveillance unit
The Digital Environmental Surveillance Unit (UVAD) was created last year by the Cabildo of Tenerife’s Natural Environment department. Its purpose is to identify, document and penalise environmental offences that occur in the island’s protected natural areas and are publicly shared on social media or the internet. The new unit was set up in response to the growing number of posts showing behaviour that harms the environment and breaches current regulations.
UVAD is initially staffed by two permanent members, with operational support from the Cabildo’s environmental enforcement agents. As Blanca Pérez, the councillor for Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies, explains: their work involves “analysing posts, gathering evidence, preparing technical reports and initiating sanctioning procedures when the offences detected have occurred in areas under the Cabildo’s jurisdiction.” In the case of the tourist who posted images breaking the rules in Tenerife’s protected landscapes, UVAD officers are now collating all the information needed to open proceedings that will conclude with a penalty.
The fragile beauty of Teno Rural Park
The offences took place in the Teno Rural Park, located at the north-western tip of Tenerife on an ancient volcanic massif, spanning altitudes from sea level to the island’s summits. More specifically, it covers parts of the municipalities of Buenavista del Norte, Los Silos, El Tanque and Santiago del Teide. The area was first protected as a Natural Park in 1987 and was reclassified as the Teno Rural Park under the Canary Islands’ Natural Spaces Law (Law 12/1994).
The park is home to a wealth of scientific, scenic, ethnographic and historical interest, as well as a high level of endemic biodiversity, in both flora and fauna. It hosts the largest and best-preserved stands of tabaibas and cardones on the island, endemics such as the cardoncillo (Ceropegia dichotoma), and also laurel forests and pine groves. The Teno massif has been designated a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) by the European Union, and is the only habitat—along with the Mesa de Guaza in southern Tenerife—for a recently discovered endemic lizard species, the Teno speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia).
Given its environmental fragility, camping and lighting fires are strictly prohibited throughout the Teno Rural Park.
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