Blog category
Territory & Environment
12 articles on territory & environment: penalties, case law and defence strategy. See the practice area →
Flora and fauna offences (arts. 332-336 CP): illegal hunting, fishing and prohibited methods in Spain
Hunting or fishing outside the rules is not always an administrative fine. Arts. 332 to 336 CP punish conduct affecting protected species, poaching on someone else’s shoot and the use of poison or non-selective methods, with disqualification from hunting or fishing even when the sentence is a fine.
Planning malfeasance (art. 320 CP): when the official who reports, votes or fails to inspect is liable
Art. 320 CP does not punish the person who builds but the public official who reports favourably on an unlawful licence, votes for it, conceals the breach during an inspection or fails to inspect when required. What the offence requires, what it carries and why it takes fifteen years to become time-barred.
Damage to Historical Heritage (Art. 323 CP): Graffiti, Monuments and Listed Sites
Art. 323 CP: why damaging a monument or spraying graffiti on a listed heritage site is a standalone offence, what penalty it carries, and how it differs from ordinary criminal damage.
Looting of Historical Heritage (Art. 323 CP): Archaeological Sites and Metal Detectors
Art. 323 CP: what archaeological looting is, why using metal detectors on protected sites is a criminal offence, what penalty it carries and how it is defended.
Articles 319 and 320 Spanish Criminal Code: Illegal Building and Planning Malfeasance (2026)
Articles 319 and 320 CP: penalties for illegal building on protected and non-developable land in Spain, court-ordered demolition, and the planning malfeasance of public officials.
Articles 351 and 352 Spanish Criminal Code: Arson and Forest Fires (2026)
Articles 351 to 358 bis of the Spanish Criminal Code: arson endangering people (10 to 20 years), forest fires (1 to 5 years plus a fine), the aggravated offence and fires caused by gross negligence…
The Crime of Mass Destruction (Art. 346 CP): Intent, Recklessness and Defence
Spain's crime of mass destruction punishes large-scale destruction that endangers life, with prison up to twenty years. We explain its elements and defence.
Environmental Crime: Article 325 of the Criminal Code
Article 325 of the Criminal Code punishes emissions and discharges capable of seriously harming the natural balance. It is an endangerment offence.
Animal Cruelty in Spain: When Is It an Offence? Penalties and Defence 2026
Accused of animal cruelty? We explain when it is an offence and when it is an administrative infringement, the penalties after the 2023 reform, and the most…
Environmental Crimes in Spain: When Discharges Are Criminal
Environmental crimes (Arts. 325-340 CP) are one of the fastest-growing areas of Spanish criminal law.
Urban Planning Crimes: Illegal Construction Defence in Spain
Building on protected land or without a license can lead to criminal charges in Spain (Art. 319 CP).
Corporate Greenwashing: When Ecological Marketing Becomes Fraud
The Consumer Empowerment Directive and the Criminal Code converge. Lying about sustainability is no longer just misleading advertising, it can be a crime of…
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