Seprona confiscates 460 kilos of pine cones

Also known as Stone Pine

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) Five people have been fined, and 460 kilos of pine cones confiscated, for collecting the cones illegally. The cones' seeds are known as pine nuts, used in cooking, and they come from the pinus pinea L tree. The incident occurred when the Guardia Civil environmental crime unit, Seprona, was carrying out a special watch in a campaign against the illegal collection of species from the countryside. A 4-wheel drive vehicle and trailer were seen coming out of a private property near San Roque last week. It was followed and stopped, the five occupants identified and the vehicle searched, whereupon four large sacks of pine cones were discovered, allegedly taken illegally from the property. The five were fined for taking fruits out of season and without permission from the property owner or the Department of the Environment, which is charged with regulating the seasons during which certain fruits may or may not be collected. A permit>>>

Pinar del Rey (sotogrande.com)

from the department is necessary to collect these cones (an extensive agricultural pursuit in places such as Pinar del Rey - the King's pine forest), whether on public or private property.

A similar operation occurred recently near Jimena, involving the digging up of heather roots for making pipes, known as cepas - that included the closing of a processing plant and the confiscation of over 20,000 kilos of processed root about to be sent to Italy. We are reseaching an article on that incident and will publish it shortly.

There is much controversy on these subjects as collecting either or both of these has been traditionally an income-bearing pusuit in the area, the current financial climate forcing more people into the countryside to make ends meet.