Two people arrested and over 100 campervans evicted from Costa del Sol nature reserve and beauty spot

More than a hundred campervans and over 30 tents have been evicted this week from Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs nature reserve on the eastern Costa del Sol. The eviction was part of a joint operation involving a total of 14 patrols, including environmental officers from the Junta de Andalucía, Nerja Local Police and the Guardia Civil.

The operation took place on Monday 20 January and resulted in the arrest of two people for alleged offences of disobedience and resisting arrest and involved the removal of five of the vehicles with a tow truck. "It is part of the collaborative actions carried out between these police forces with the regional government to ensure the protection of this enclave in Malaga," the Junta de Andalucía said in a statement released on Wednesday 22 January.

The operation took place on Las Alberquillas, Río de la Miel and Cala del Pino beaches. A large number of those evicted were involved in the illegal rave in Ciudad Real at Christmas, as SUR has been able to confirm.

The Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs is an area of great environmental value due to its geological formations and the great biodiversity it contains, both in on land and in the sea. After the eviction the area was cleaned up by the operational services of Nerja town hall, according to the Junta's statement.

The Junta de Andalucía, within the framework of its powers, carries out surveillance and sanctioning work, as well as other improvement actions, with the aim of conserving the flora, fauna, geomorphological constitution, special beauty and other components of outstanding natural value in Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs.

The Junta de Andalucía also monitors and controls illegal parking and camping, illegal fishing (in coordination with the Fisheries inspectorate), jet skis (through special services and coordination with the Guardia Civil's nature protection unit, Seprona) and anchoring outside permitted areas.

Illegal camping and occupation of abandoned buildings, which cause environmental damage to the natural site and have led to public order problems, are beyond the competence of the Junta de Andalucía in terms of environmental monitoring, according to the Junta's statement.

For this reason, the Junta de Andalucía is coordinating with other administrations and security forces. Last year, among other operations, the worked together with the Guardia Civil to remove illegal campervans from Las Alberquillas beach.

Axarquía based environmental lobby group Gabinete de Estudios de la Naturaleza de la Axarquía (GENA-Ecologistas en Acción) has been repeatedly denouncing, in recent years, the increase in illegal camping in the Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs area.