Can I pick wildflowers or collect wild plants in Gibraltar?

Question

Accepted Answer

No. Wild plants are protected under the Nature Protection Act 1991, and picking or uprooting them without a licence is generally an offence, with only a short list of excluded common species. In the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, picking protected plants and damaging any trees or plants is specifically prohibited.
Gibraltar’s Nature Protection Act 1991 protects wild plants growing in Gibraltar. Picking (gathering, cutting or plucking any part of a plant) and uprooting wild plants are regulated, and doing so without a licence can be an offence. A schedule to the Act lists a limited number of excluded common plants, and plants introduced to Gibraltar that could not have arrived naturally are also treated differently.
In the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, which covers a large part of the Rock, the rules are stricter. The Reserve’s regulations prohibit uprooting or damaging trees or plants and picking any protected plant. They also prohibit feeding or disturbing wild animals.
Several of Gibraltar’s plants are rare or found almost nowhere else, including the Gibraltar candytuft, the Gibraltar campion, the Gibraltar saxifrage and Gibraltar thyme. Collecting seeds, bulbs or cuttings to take home is also inappropriate and may breach biosecurity rules elsewhere.
The simplest approach is to take photographs and leave plants where they are. If you are a researcher or need to collect plant material for a legitimate reason, contact the Department of the Environment about a licence.

Can I pick wildflowers or collect wild plants in Gibraltar?

Short answer

Detailed answer

In the Nature Reserve

Why it matters