Paris (AFP)
A French couple has been arrested in Sardinia and will be prosecuted for stealing for trying to bring home 40 kilos of white sand, according to the Italian press. In France also the collection of sand on the beach is strictly regulated.
Article L321-8 of the Environmental Code regulates the collection of sand or shells. For this type of offense, fines can go up to 1,500 euros.
The law specifies that "extractions of materials are limited or prohibited when they risk directly or indirectly compromising the integrity of beaches, dunes, cliffs, marshes".
- Sand -
Sand removal is considered an infringement of the public maritime domain.
If it is forbidden to collect sand on the beach, we can instead collect the "wind sand" (the one that has been moved by the wind out of the beach) and found on the road
In fact, the authorities tolerate the collection, as long as it is small.
- Rollers -
The gleaning of pebbles can also cost a fine of 1,500 euros.
- Flora -
Some seacoast flowers are protected. In case of infringement, the fine may be up to 9,000 euros for "alteration, degradation or destruction of the environment of a plant species in a protected site".
- Driftwood -
There are no official regulations for collecting water-polished wood and returning it to beaches. But their collection must remain reasonable. Driftwood is part of the "sea leash", these natural debris of plant or animal origin brought back by the tides which constitute an ecosystem useful to the life of the littoral.
© 2019 AFP