Tag Archives: Territory

Renewable energies and territory: an ongoing debate (1)

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The development of solar parks near Sant Climent and Es Mercadal has once again reopened the debate between renewable energy and land use. This is an issue that is never easy to resolve wherever it arises, but it must be addressed calmly if a responsible approach is to be taken. Menorca has already experienced similar episodes in the past.

The occupation of rural land for energy production inevitably generates controversy, especially in a territory where this issue is particularly sensitive, as has repeatedly been shown on the island. However, what is happening in Menorca should not be confused with the clear environmental damage seen in some areas of mainland Spain, nor should it be assumed that rooftop solar alone can deliver the energy transition. The reality is more complex.

This note, together with a following one, presents the position and arguments of the environmental organisation GOB.

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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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More than 100 educational centres in the Balearic Islands join GOB’s call for a fair school transport fare

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The call made by GOB last week to demand fair school transport fares has already received the support of more than one hundred educational centres in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, as well as more than a dozen associations of headteachers, families and trade unions. Support has continued to grow over the past few days, highlighting the increasing scale of a problem that has affected the entire educational community for years.

The rise in transport costs for educational outings is a recurring situation every year, especially with the arrival of the tourist season, when transport companies prioritise more profitable services linked to tourism. This year, the situation has been further aggravated by the increase in fuel prices, which has pushed already high costs even higher.

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June 13 | Via Menorca – Save the date

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On Saturday, June 13, the Via Menorca campaign is calling a protest action to protect the territory and its inhabitants. After two years of mobilizations, a third season begins, pointing out the course Menorca is taking. Save the date to take part.

A growing buzz is running through the island. The discomfort of the population and natural environments is increasing. It is a call for self-protection, a cry for help in the face of ever-increasing tourist pressure that generates significant impacts on the territory and daily life.

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The cross-cutting issue

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Spring has begun, leaving behind meetings, conferences, studies and debates on important issues in Menorca. Menorca’s winter brings a remarkably active pace of events that encourage reflection and analysis. And in all these initiatives, when one takes a moment to think, a common factor emerges—one that runs through all these issues and fills them with a sense of concern.

We struggle to find solutions for aquifer management, access to housing, waste reduction and recycling, beach overcrowding, and the gradual loss of purchasing power.

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Lack of control in the dredging of the Port of Ciutadella

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Ports de the Balearic Islands has carried out dredging in the inner area of the port without measures to prevent the dispersion of silt in the water. GOB wants to know which environmental precautions have been taken to ensure that no further contamination occurs and where the extracted sediments will end up.

Port sediments are likely to be contaminated. These are areas of intensive use, where paints, fuel oils, and various discharges often end up being deposited on the seabed.

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GOB sections demand a fair fare for school transport

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In recent years, students’ right to take part in activities outside the classroom has been facing an obstacle as unexpected as it is insurmountable: the prohibitive cost of discretionary transport services.

Far from being a luxury, school trips are fundamental pedagogical tools and form part of the comprehensive development of the educational curriculum. It must be explicitly acknowledged that these activities are part of the right to education with equal opportunities and cannot be considered optional complementary activities. In fact, for many children, these excursions represent the only opportunity to get to know their natural surroundings, as their daily lives are confined to city streets or, worse still, to the walls of their homes.

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Son Frau vineyards join Custòdia Agrària

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The Son Frau estate, in the area of Sant Climent, has recently joined GOB Menorca’s land stewardship programme with the signing of a new collaboration agreement with GOB. With this addition, there are now 43 land stewardship agreements in force on the island.

Son Frau covers an area of 33.8 hectares and is managed entirely under organic farming. The estate is currently mainly oriented towards wine production, although it also has olive trees, and plans to complement its activity with vegetable growing in the future. In July 2024, the first production of organic grapes was obtained, and this year they are producing its first wine vintage, which will begin to be marketed from next year.

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Cutting the flower

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The President of the European Commission says that nuclear energy is strategic for Europe. Next month will mark 40 years since the very serious accident at the (formerly Soviet and now Ukrainian) Chernobyl plant, when a radioactive cloud larger than the entire Iberian Peninsula was released and drifted across the West as far as the United States. The radiation was equivalent to hundreds of bombs like the one in Hiroshima.

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