In the coming week the Formentera Council will implement coastal and dune protection measures at La Boca de l'Estany – an area located at the eastern edge of l'Estany des Peix in the town of La Savina.

This swath of land is currently employed for overflow parking, which in turn implies serious degradation to the immediate surroundings. It is also an area that is guaranteed protection under the Xarxa Natura 2000 plan.

This February in La Savina a new plan to regulate parking is set to take effect. It is hoped that the entry in rigour of the new parking scheme will coincide with an abandonment of the heretofore common practise of using the protected area for overflow parking.

To assure these changes take place, the Council's plan – which carries a price tag of €3,276 and has already been green-lighted by the Balearic coastal demarcation authority – calls for the installation of 120 metres of rope, linked by wooden poles spaced four metres apart.

Fishermen and dry dock users

Provisionally, the Council has supported a system of restricted access for owners of boats and wooden dry docks in that area as well as emergency vehicles that attempt to gain temporary access.

The majority of the individuals who fit this profile are retired Formentera residents trying to transport barrels of gasoline or fishing tackle. In the absence of such provisional access, these residents would be disproportionately affected by changes imposed under the incoming system. To request this special access, residents are asked to visit the Citizen Information Office (l'OAC), located in Sant Francesc Xavier, starting Monday 26 January.

This morning, in a ceremony held at the plenary hall of the Formentera Island Council, the 2014 winner of the administration's annual research grant was announced as Maria Bofill, doctor in prehistoric archaeology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. In attendance at the ceremony, together with Dr. Bofill, was Sònia Cardona, councillor of culture and local heritage.

The project for which Bofill will receive the €6,000 scholarship is entitled 'A study of the prehistoric communities of Formentera based on a functional lytic and osseous analysis'.

In her own words, Bofill explained that functional lytic and osseous analysis – lytic relating to an antibody (a lysin) that causes the disintegration of bacterial cells, and osseous concerning the bones – is a new technology in scientific investigation. “[Such analysis] didn't exist in the 70s and 80s, when the major excavations of Ca na Costa and Es Cap de Barbaria took place.” Bofill's intention is to “apply these techniques to artefacts in the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Eivissa and Formentera in order to obtain more information about how Formentera's inhabitants lived during the second half of the third millennium B.C.E (2,500-3,000 B.C.E)”.

Councillor Cardona noted that “the goal of the Council's grant is to foment scientific research related to Formentera”. She stressed that the research grant, “as well as the Estudis Joan Marí Cardona conferences, are extremely important. They serve to stimulate research, promotion and conservation of Formentera's local heritage”.

According to Cardona, the fact that this year's grant recipient is an archaeologist “only serves to strengthen the current love affair between the field of archaeology and Formentera. Far from being the only investigation in the field, Bofill's is just one on a long list of local projects. New digs are being conducted in Es Cap de Barbaria, last September saw the celebration on Formentera of a series of conferences on archaeology in the Balearic Islands, last July attended an extensive programme of continuing education opportunities for university students, and – also in July and September – guided walking and bike tours turned the public on to some of the our island's principal archaeological and patrimonial assets”.

This month of January 2015 marks one year since the implementation of an ordinance—ratified by the Formentera Council in July 2013—that prohibits the distribution of plastic bags on the island.

The measure has essentially already been in effect since 2009, when the campaign “Formentera, naturalment sense plàstic” ('Formentera, naturally without plastic') meant a disappearance of plastic bags at all food-selling locations—some fifty across the entire island. Then, on 1 January 2014, application of the measure was extended to include all commercial establishments, affecting a total of 439 businesses.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment has estimated that 145 plastic bags are used per person per year, 50% less than five years ago.

Based on these figures, the ban on bags in Formentera amounts to forestalling the distribution of 1,740,000 plastic bags. The move was proposed as part of the 2008-2015 national plan on waste disposal and its local adoption has turned Formentera into one of the leading participants.

At island businesses over the past year, workers of the Formentera Council's office of the environment have carried out informational campaigns and in the case of seven stores, work by inspectors has also led to injunctions being brought for violation of the rule.

Sílvia Tur, councillor of the environment, explained: “The rejection of petroleum-based plastic bags is a question of vital importance for the natural beauty of our land and waters and for the health of many marine species that ingest such objects accidentally”. In the councillor's words: “Replacing such bags with more natural, less durable substitutes—like the potato and wheat starch-based options that currently exist—is a low-effort action that can be extremely beneficial to the environment”.

The Formentera Council, under the banner of the administration's office of trade, has finished delivering prizes from the raffle held this Christmas season to promote spending at local Formentera businesses. The first prize went to Jonut Constantine and promised a weekend in Eivissa with free rental car. Constantine was entered in the raffle for shopping at La Caracola.

Second prize was awarded to Pilar Redondo for patronising the shop Estil Moda. Redondo's prize included a special gourmet dinner selection and spa treatment at Hotel Es Marès. Finally, third prize – a smoked ham and a selection of books – was won by Josefa Fernández for shopping at Joyas de Santis.

The drawing took place the evening of Three Kings' Day on the Formentera Council balcony overlooking Sant Francesc's Plaça de la Constitució. The Formentera Chamber of Commerce had collaborated by distributing 2000 raffle tickets across 33 businesses on the island. Customers had to purchase a minimum of €10 at any of the participating establishments in order to be entered in the drawing.

“Shop at home”

Alejandra Ferrer, councillor of trade, described her office's motivation organising the event, explaining the idea had been to “incentivise spending at local Formentera businesses in winter and during the holidays in general”. In addition to the raffle, Ferrer spoke about three other initiatives being coordinated by the Formentera Council, among which was the administration's purchase of six wooden shacks: “Used at the Mercat de Nadal (Christmas Market) on the square at Sant Francesc, these wood houses will remain property of the Council and serve both for future editions of the market as well as other initiatives throughout the year”.

Ferrer also recalled an earlier competition – another joint effort with the Chamber of Commerce – to name the best shop window displays on the island. From fifteen participating stores, three nabbed special distinctions: Muy (first prize), Te doy la Luna (second prize) and Papereria Tur Ferrer (third prize). The councillor described another Council-led campaign that had lit up the radio waves and browser screens on the island – “Compra a casa” had the important help of Ràdio Illa and aimed to raise awareness about supporting local business.

An “extremely positive” holiday season

Sergio Jiménez, councillor of local festivities, looked back on the recently-concluded holiday season and described it as “extremely positive. A defining experience for Christmases to come”. The councillor thanked a local group known as the Associació Reis Mags, or Three Kings Association, “as well as other offices of the council – trade, sports and culture – for participating in the creation of the 2014 Christmas calendar. This year's programme offered an especially strong selection of children's, sports, cultural and musical activities”.

Among the different holiday concerts, Councillor Jiménez highlighted the PopTour concert on 26 December and performances by Aires Formenterencs and Projecte Mut on 3 January “which packed the 500-capacity tent”. Jiménez lauded organisers and band members alike for all that went into an explosive New Years Eve concert by Radio Heat Band.

According to Sergi Jiménez, the programme of events, organised at a cost of €45,000 all told, “dispelled the myth of a sleepy Formentera at Christmas-time. The message from residents was loud and clear: offer a selection of fun holiday activities and people will come”.