Rerouting the Camí de Cavalls in Addaia

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In February 2021, five years ago now, three environmental organisations working in the Balearic Islands, two of them focused on Menorca, formally requested that the Island Council modify a section of the Camí de Cavalls that crosses the middle of the former salt flats of Addaia. These organisations are GOB, Societat Ornitològica de Menorca (SOM) and Societat Espanyola d’Ornitologia (SEO-Virot Balears).

The letter recalled the protection figures that apply to this area: Natural Park, ANEI with a high level of protection and the Natura 2000 Network (SCI and SPA). This protection is due to its great landscape and environmental value.

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February 26, the challenge of waste management, up for debate at the Ateneu de Maó

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The fourth and final round table in the «Viure dins del dònut» [«Living within the doughnut»] debate series at the Ateneu de Maó will focus on waste management. This genuine collective challenge is a key element in moving towards more sustainable and responsible models. The session will address the future prospects of island waste management, the role of the three Rs —reduce, reuse and recycle— and innovative local upcycling initiatives.

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A flamingo shared with France

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From the port of Toulon, ships depart all summer long full of tourists heading to Menorca. Some end up settling on the island. A few kilometres from that same French coast lies the Camargue delta, where one flamingo has made the opposite journey.

In August 2014, people found a young flamingo, still with greyish plumage, showing signs of exhaustion near Son Saura del Sud. It probably became disoriented during its migratory journey, as it had no injuries. It received care at the Wildlife Recovery Centre, where it stayed for a month to recover.

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Dangerous land

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The theory of no man’s land began as a somewhat rudimentary slogan, but it soon took root because of the usefulness it could offer at particular moments. Circumstances condition many things. When more developed societies carried out the occupation of other territories, it was necessary to dress it up with justification.

The strategy was to argue that no one was using that land. Without ploughing or sowing, it seemed abandoned. It was not difficult to spread the idea of lands that held no interest for those who had arrived previously. A line of reasoning that was very successful, to the misfortune of those who were already living there.

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The territorial corrupt practices of Menorca in carnival version

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Many people took part last Sunday in the carnival troupe organised within the framework of the Via Menorca campaign.

An initial group, dressed in suits and ties, carrying briefcases and documents, offered favourable reports and licences while €500 notes were exchanged. There was also a spectacular swimming pool (or perhaps it was a cistern?). A large roundabout related to Talayotic Menorca was also present, as well as several pages of the Island Territorial Plan.

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19 February, the housing issue to be debated at Ateneu de Maó

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The debate series «Viure dins del dònut» [«Living within the doughnut»] will approach the housing issue this Thursday, 19 February, with the aim of analysing the structural causes of the current situation and reflecting on possible future pathways.

The session, which will consider the phenomenon from different perspectives, will focus on the role of public policies in Menorca, the recent evolution of the real estate market and the challenges posed by a context of growing scarcity.

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A Step Forward for the Menorca Agroecological Alliance: Collaborative project workshop

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The Alliance for Agroecology in Menorca is organising a Project Definition Workshop next Thursday, 19 February, at CentreBit Menorca (Av. des Camp Verd, 4, in Alaior), with the aim of opening up the participatory process launched a year ago and bringing new people and organisations into the transformation of Menorca’s agricultural sector towards a more sustainable, fair and territory-rooted model.

After a first year of work driven by a small core group, the Alliance wants to take a step forward and broaden the project’s social base. Promoting the agroecological transition — which links agricultural production and nature conservation — is a collective challenge that requires everyone’s involvement.

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Monitoring tropospheric ozone in Maó

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Ozone is a gas that has beneficial effects in the upper layers of the atmosphere, where it filters ultraviolet radiation. However, it becomes harmful when present near the Earth’s surface — in the troposphere.

Tropospheric ozone is a complex pollutant with no single direct human source. Instead, it forms through chemical reactions involving so-called precursor pollutants emitted by transport, thermal power plants, certain industrial activities and intensive livestock farming.

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GOB highlights the need for a Balearic Biosecurity Law at inter-island meeting

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Over the weekend of 31 January–1 February, GEN-GOB of Ibiza hosted the meeting of the inter-Island Board of GOB, the coordination body of the four island sections.

Participants in the meeting, representing the GOB sections from each island, agreed on the need to provide the Autonomous Community with a Biosecurity Law. This is an urgent matter, as the islands are currently unprotected against the entry of invasive species due to the absence of their own regulations. In addition, existing state, European and international regulations are poorly applied and are far from being a priority in the management of ports and airports. At the same time, biosecurity problems are worsening at an alarming rate. The most extreme case is Ibiza, where invasive snakes are wiping out the population of the native lizard.

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Conscientious Ecology