All posts by GOB Menorca

Pledges to avoid disposable one use tableware

Visits: 135

Since the 1 February the following have pledged with GOB to give up using disposable plastic tableware: Amics del Museu de Menorca (Friends of the Museum of Menorca), Esplai de Jubilats de Ciutadella (Retired People’s Club in Ciutadella), Club de Jubilats d’Alaior (Retired People’s Club in Alaior), AMPS (Association of Mothers and Fathers) de Sa Graduada, Mahon, Fra Rotger, dedicated to the cultural value of gastronomy. Continue reading Pledges to avoid disposable one use tableware

Explanation of the new Law on Rubbish Disposal on Tuesday 12 March

Visits: 249

What is the last date from which it will be prohibited to use disposable plastics?  What percentage of beverage containers can be reused? What is the agenda for reducing the amount of waste going to the rubbish dump? What will be the role of the government and what role should the public take on? Continue reading Explanation of the new Law on Rubbish Disposal on Tuesday 12 March

Fauna from Menorca: The Green Toad

Visits: 505

In Menorca we currently have two species of amphibians: the frog and the green toad. Another species of toad was introduced some fourteen years ago with aquatic plants for the garden. The frog and the green toad, also, are species that were introduced here but in ancient times. The remains of green toads have been found at talayotic sites. Another species which was already living in Menorca before the arrival of humans was the ferret, but it became extinct and is now found just in the Serra de Tramuntana in Mallorca. The habitats of green toads are found only in Corsica, Sardinia, the Italian Peninsula, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. Continue reading Fauna from Menorca: The Green Toad

Fauna from Menorca: the hedgehog

Visits: 901

Hedgehogs are an important part of the ecosystem of Menorca. They are well known animals for their characteristic covering of needles. These spines are nothing more than hairs filled with keratin which stiffens them. The hedgehogs in Menorca are the smallest found in Europe. It is usually called the African hedgehog because it is native to north Africa. From there it spread along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Malta, the Canaries and all the Balearic Islands. The oldest hedgehog remains found in Menorca date from the 13th century (Morales and Rofes, 2008), from which it is surmised that it was the Almohads who introduced them, and it is documented that the hedgehog was appreciated both for food and for being used for medical purposes. Continue reading Fauna from Menorca: the hedgehog

Fauna from Menorca: the Mediterranean tortoise

Visits: 4174

The Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo Hermanni), called simply, in Menorca, the land tortoise, is a species which lives only on the continent of Europe, from the north east of the Iberian Peninsular to Turkey and in the principal Mediterranean islands. There are two different subspecies. That which lives in Menorca is exclusive to the western Mediterranean. Wild tortoises are found only in the Balearic Islands of Mallorca and Menorca, where they were introduced by us, it is not known when. Genetic studies have been made that determine two different origins of the Menorcan tortoise. One origin is very old, of some thousands of years, coming from Sicily or Sardinia. The other origin is much more recent coming from the continental tortoises. The tortoises from the south of the island are of the oldest origin on the island, while those in the north originate from the continent. Continue reading Fauna from Menorca: the Mediterranean tortoise

The lesson of Son Parc

Visits: 447

Excavation works have begun in Son Parc urbanisation, Es Mercadal. This project is a clear reminder of the long, intense battles Menorca has had to wage to combat the dangerous threats to its territorial integrity, inherent in the development plans of the 1970s. It also highlights the complicated impacts on any areas which are earmarked for development. It is only 3 years since the last attempt to promote this type of development. Continue reading The lesson of Son Parc