Tag Archives: Fauna

Last week to submit photographs to the Maó Harbour Photography Competition

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The Maó Harbour Narrative Photography Competition is entering its final stage. The competition, promoted by the Recuperem el Port de Maó campaign, will close its submission period next 15 September. There is therefore just over a week left to go out and photograph the bay and submit your images.

These days, during the Festes de Gràcia, people joyfully sing the city’s anthem. In honour of the verse that mentions the harbour as an essential part of Maó, we encourage everyone to go out for a walk and photograph this “puerto de mar a pie”.

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Amendments for a Coastal Law that sets limits on pressure on the coast

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The draft Balearic Islands Coastal Law does not specify what happens when uses come into conflict with ecological limits. The islands are territories under strong pressure along their coast, with many areas clearly exceeding their limits. Amendments are also included regarding the new attempt to amend the Menorca Biosphere Reserve Law. GOB has submitted amendments during the period in which organisations can do so.

The transfer of various powers to the autonomous community in matters concerning the coast allows the archipelago to regulate coastal management again. This is an opportunity to reduce pressures, restore degraded areas or adapt to the effects of climate change. In GOB’s opinion, the current text of the draft Law is very much focused on planning, organising and managing uses, activities and occupations, but it is not always sufficiently clear what happens when these uses come into conflict with the limits.

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Summer family activities at the Wildlife Recovery Centre

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This summer, on Tuesdays between 28 July and 18 August, the Wildlife Recovery Centre invites you to enjoy four evenings full of discoveries, games and learning for the whole family. A fun, educational and participatory programme to get to know Menorca’s wildlife better and spend an enjoyable time together—especially for children!

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The Wildlife Recovery Centre opens its doors to the public this summer

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From Wednesday, 1 July, nature lovers and those interested in Menorca’s wildlife will have the opportunity to visit the Wildlife Recovery Centre. Until 12 September, the Centre will be open to the public from Monday to Saturday, from 6 p.m. until sunset.

The Centre is located within the Pedreres de s’Hostal de Lithica, on the Camí Vell de Ciutadella, km 1. This privileged location allows visitors to enjoy an impressive natural setting while discovering the crucial work carried out to recover local wildlife.

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Innovative ants

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One hundred thousand years ago, life must have been very different from today. Humans at that time were still a gathering species and moved nomadically across the land.

Without a fixed place to live and without the entertainment we have now, we can assume that our ancestors spent a great deal of time observing nature. They were familiar with the movement of the stars, the signs that marked atmospheric changes, and the annual cycles of life.

They surely noticed ants, the different tasks they perform and the way they organize colonies of thousands or hundreds of thousands of individuals. Furthermore, they likely discovered that ants cultivate fungi, which they nourish with food.

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Symptomatic poppies

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Island botany constantly offers us examples of adaptation and survival capacity. Plants that grow in very poor and shallow soils, in land that is constantly being transformed, as well as in the cracks of buildings and asphalt pavements.

Poppies are one of these examples of resilience. Even if there are only a few, they stand out easily in a cereal field. Being in a clear minority, among thousands of almost identical ears of grain, does not prevent the eye from being drawn to the difference in colour, elegance, attractiveness and composure.

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14 June – Open day at the Menorca Wildlife Recovery Centre

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The Menorca Wildlife Recovery Centre will open its doors to the public this Sunday, 14 June, for a special open day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as part of the conservation and environmental awareness activities it carries out throughout the year. The Centre operates under an agreement between GOB Menorca and the Consortium for Wildlife Recovery (COFIB), with the supervision of the Balearic Government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment.

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Shooting at the islets

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The Partit Popular has presented an initiative in the Balearic Parliament to allow hunting on islets, ravines and inland cliffs. The proposal amends the Menorca Biosphere Reserve Law and removes the existing ban on hunting in these areas.

GOB Menorca wishes to express its rejection of this amendment, put forward by the Menorcan MP Jordi López, because these areas are considered to be of the highest environmental value. Three out of every four hectares of Menorca are already designated as hunting grounds.

 

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Come and discover the biodiversity of Custòdia Agrària farms

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Would you like to spend time outdoors, in contact with nature, and help assess the state of biodiversity in our countryside? This spring, we are looking for volunteers to take part in monitoring bioindicators on farms with Custòdia Agrària agreements.

This activity is open to everyone, with no previous experience required. You will learn to observe nature from a new perspective and to interpret what it tells us about the health of farmland and its biodiversity.

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The travelling turtle

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In 2011, during scientific surveys, a male freshwater turtle specimen was captured. In Menorca, these turtles live in streams and large ponds. At that time, it was found in the torrent of sa Boval, where it was released again after being marked, weighing 270 grams.

Last month, 15 years later, the same specimen was collected on the airport road. Therefore, it was located 7.5 kilometres away, in a different hydrographic basin, with the main road in between. It is unknown whether it arrived there by its own means or if it was transported by someone.

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