Tag Archives: Tourism

Residents 1, Urban developments 0 – 13/06/26

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It is difficult to get people who are spending a few days on holiday to understand that the place they are visiting has water problems. Perhaps they could get an idea if the surrounding context suggested it, but that is not the case.

The progressive loss of drinking water in Menorca is directly related to the economic development model that is being promoted. The resident population is making efforts to reduce consumption, but spending is increasing in tourist areas.

On Saturday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m., a protest action has been called in Biosphere Square in Maó. A great deal is at stake for the immediate future. Please help spread the call.

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Sustainable distortion

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Almost 40 years have passed since the concept of sustainable development was spread worldwide by the United Nations. However, fears about the distortion of the term have gradually come true, and there are still people who equate it with sustained growth.

Ancient philosophers already said that when words lose their meaning, citizens lose their freedom.

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I would like to return to Menorca: 13/06/26

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Official statistics show that Menorca has grown by 80% in the number of tourists over the last 15 years. Increasing overcrowding is not a feeling, it is a reality that is degrading the island in various ways. We already know that this path leads to the models of Ibiza and Mallorca.

But there are people who do not accept this destiny and will take to the streets to protest on Saturday 13 June, at 7.30 pm, at Plaça Biosfera in Maó. This is a new call by Via Menorca, the campaign that aims for the island to once again find a differentiated path, as it had for many years.

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‘If we are from a dry land’: 13/06/26

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They say that when ants all set in motion, no one has given the order. It is not decided by the queen, as one might suppose, nor by the larger specimens, who usually act as soldiers. Nor is it decided by the worker ants, who carry out many different tasks. They decide to act when certain information has been verified and they clearly see that a joint response is needed.

The new action that has been scheduled for the evening of Saturday 13 June, within the Via Menorca campaign, incorporates the symbolism of ants. Fed up with seeing the setbacks the island is experiencing, the increasing threats and the empty speeches without content, the ants have decided to leave the anthill.

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Renewable energies (2): Zoning and energy sovereignty

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This note is the second part of a reflection on the relationship between renewable energy and land use. It describes the situation in Menorca, which can be very different from other islands as well as from mainland Spain. For this reason, it is not appropriate to assume that what happens elsewhere is being replicated here, because that is not the case.

Over the past 20 years, several wind energy projects have been proposed in Menorca but have been halted for environmental reasons. At the same time, significant progress has been made in zoning suitable areas for photovoltaic energy, ensuring that spaces with environmental or landscape protection status are not considered suitable.

Anyone interested in understanding the differences and criteria applied in Menorca is encouraged to read the full text presented here.

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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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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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