The Socialist Federation of Ibiza (FSE-PSOE) has called on the Balearic Government to withdraw the sanctioning proceedings opened against a private refuge for Ibiza wall lizards in Sant Joan de Labritja. The project, known as Can Jaume Arnau, was established by Marilina Serra with advice from biologist Antònia Maria Cirer to help protect the island's native lizard from invasive snakes.

The dispute follows the regional government's decision to open disciplinary proceedings over the keeping and confinement of protected lizards at the property. The administration has proposed a €6,000 fine, arguing that the facility was operating outside its official conservation programmes and did not meet the required safeguards.

The PSOE believes the project should instead receive technical and administrative support to help it continue.

PSOE Wants the Private Refuge to Continue

In a statement published on 7 November, the FSE-PSOE described Can Jaume Arnau as an example of local community involvement in protecting Ibiza's biodiversity.

The party argues that the decline in Ibiza wall lizard populations, linked to the spread of invasive snakes, requires cooperation between public authorities, scientists, landowners and conservation organisations.

It considers the Government's decision to initiate sanctioning proceedings against a private initiative inconsistent with its responsibility to protect the species.

The Socialists are asking the regional administration to meet with the refuge's promoters, conservation organisations and scientific teams to find a way for the facility to continue operating with the necessary legal and environmental guarantees.

They also want the Government to establish a clear protocol for creating and maintaining lizard refuges, including scientific supervision and population monitoring.

Why the Government Opened the Proceedings

The Balearic Government announced on 5 November that its Directorate General for Natural Environment and Forestry Management had initiated sanctioning proceedings concerning the possession and confinement of Ibiza wall lizards at a private refuge on the island.

According to the official statement, Environment officers inspected the enclosed facility on 26 April 2026. They observed three lizards, although one of the people responsible for the site stated that the enclosure contained 18.

Following the inspection, the Government's Species Protection Service concluded that the facility was not part of an official conservation programme. Technical staff also considered that the enclosure did not provide sufficient guarantees to prevent invasive snakes from entering.

The administration argues that protected species cannot be captured, confined, kept or bred through independent private initiatives outside the programmes and authorisations established by the competent authorities.

The proposed €6,000 penalty relates to an alleged serious breach of biodiversity protection regulations. It is important to clarify that this is a proposed sanction within an ongoing administrative procedure, not a fine that has already been definitively imposed.

Temporary Measures to Protect the Lizards

The Government has also stated that the lizards at the inspected facility should be transferred to a location with the appropriate technical and legal conditions for their conservation.

Until that transfer can take place, the Directorate General for Natural Environment and Forestry Management has established temporary custody measures. These are intended to protect the animals, prevent the entry of predators and avoid further unauthorised capture, handling or introduction of specimens.

The administration has stressed that these temporary arrangements do not amount to legal approval of the private refuge.

The Ibiza wall lizard is currently classified as vulnerable in the Balearic Catalogue of Threatened and Specially Protected Species. Its protection is governed by regional and national biodiversity legislation, which restricts the capture, possession and movement of protected animals without the necessary authorisation.

The Government Is Developing Its Own Network of Lizard Refuges

The dispute has emerged at a time when the Balearic Government is developing a wider conservation programme for the species.

The first secure refuge has been established at the Can Marines Centre for Education and Vocational Training in Santa Eulària. According to a report published on 7 November, the facility already accommodates 44 lizards transferred from populations in south-west Ibiza.

The group consists of 24 females, 16 males and four individuals whose sex has not been determined. The animals have been individually identified through photographs, and biological samples have been collected to study their DNA and genetic diversity.

The initial strategy envisages a coordinated network of up to eight refuges, although this number could increase. The facilities are intended to provide protected spaces where invasive snakes cannot reach the lizards.

The Government has also indicated that it is working towards an agreement with a private organisation willing to provide land for another refuge. That facility is expected to join the network under the management of the regional administration.

The programme illustrates the distinction the Government makes between supporting conservation initiatives and authorising individuals to handle protected animals independently.

PSOE Also Questions the Use of European Conservation Funds

In its statement, the Socialist Federation connected the private refuge case with its previous criticism of the regional government's handling of European funding for invasive rodent control.

The PSOE said in October that €85,412.76 in European funds intended for a rat-control project on the islets of es Vedrà, es Vedranell, s'Espalmador and Tagomago had been lost.

According to the party, the project had already reached the tendering stage and was intended to help protect wildlife populations in those locations.

This funding criticism forms part of the PSOE's political argument about the Government's commitment to biodiversity protection. The figure and the circumstances surrounding the funding should be understood as claims made by the party, rather than as independently established findings in the Government's announcement about the lizard refuge.

A Dispute Over How Conservation Should Be Organised

The case highlights a wider question about how individuals and private organisations can contribute to the protection of threatened wildlife.

The PSOE wants the Government to work with the people behind Can Jaume Arnau and establish a framework that allows similar projects to operate with scientific and administrative support.

The regional administration, meanwhile, maintains that the handling and confinement of protected species must take place within authorised conservation programmes, with appropriate technical safeguards and official supervision.

Both positions recognise the need to protect the Ibiza wall lizard from invasive predators. The disagreement is over the legal framework and conditions under which private conservation projects can take part.