Spain: NGO Demands Smoking & Vape Ban on Cíes Islands

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Spain Smoking Ban Cíes Islands

The Spanish non-governmental organization Nofumadores.org is denouncing what it calls the “incoherent and shameful” policy of allowing smoking and vaping on the Cíes Islands, a major tourist destination in Galicia and a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status. The NGO is demanding that the regional government (the Xunta) prohibit smoking and vaping throughout the entire national park, including its beaches, forests, and camping areas.

The organization highlights the serious fire risk posed by lighting cigarettes in a protected forest environment and the environmental pollution from discarded cigarette butts and vape waste. Raquel Fernández Megina, president of Nofumadores.org, criticized the lack of any “no smoking” signs on the island, noting that smoking is tolerated even in covered terraces next to children’s play areas. “It is unthinkable that a space aspiring to the highest global conservation recognition would allow smoking freely on beaches, in forests, and in camping areas,” she stated.

The group also pointed out the growing presence of vapes and heated tobacco products on the islands, which introduce additional risks from flammable batteries and plastic and heavy metal waste. They argue it is inconsistent for the Xunta to ban pets from the islands to protect local species while granting “privileged treatment” to smokers.

Nofumadores.org has collected nearly 80,000 signatures on Change.org for a petition to ban smoking in all of Spain’s National Parks, citing international precedents in places like Yellowstone and Canada. A separate petition for smoke-free beaches across Spain has garnered almost 384,000 signatures, aiming to protect both public health and the environment.

Matthew Ma
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