Roque del Este is part of the Los Islotes Strict Nature Reserve together with Montaña Clara and Roque del Oeste. The management plan places it northeast of Lanzarote. [1]
The rock lies about eleven kilometres northeast of Lanzarote and nineteen kilometres from Montaña Clara. The 2006 management plan identifies it as the easternmost point of the Canary Islands. It became part of the Los Islotes Strict Nature Reserve in 1994, following the protection of Chinijo as a natural park in 1986. [1]
Its distinctive character goes beyond its position. The plan highlights Campyloneuropsis fulva, a small bug endemic to the Canary Islands that occurs exclusively on this rock. This biological importance was an explicit reason for protecting the reserve. [1]