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Heads of regional ecology departments visit Formentera

pesca i espais naturals1Presidential cabinet councillor Bartomeu Escandell and environment councillor Daisee Aguilera met today with the directors general of two Balearic offices —Joan Mercant of the fish and marine environment office Pesca i Medi Marí and Caterina Amengual of Espais Naturals i Biodiversitat (the regional natural spaces and biodiversity office)— to talk about conserving sea life and protected spaces around Formentera.

Before a joint meeting took place, the chiefs of Pesca i Medi Marí and the Formentera Council took a trip to the Es Freus marine reserve at the same time the Espais Naturals i Biodiversitat chief of staff joined CiF Councillor Aguilera for a visit to different zones within the Parc Natural de Ses Salines. “We wanted our visitors to get a firsthand look at the situation our island's natural spaces are facing,” explained Councillor Escandell.

Traditional fishing
After meeting with the president of the local fishermen's guild (la Confraria de Pescadors), Escandell highlighted one issue on which he and his interlocutor saw eye to eye: “Conserving our waters and protecting the local marine life while still promoting what, for us, is a vocation steeped in tradition”. Escandell also spoke about “the added value of local restaurant fare if it is made from local products”. Mercant declared the Confraria “an example to follow” for its conservation work and pledged to try and satisfy the requests made throughout the day—namely with regard to increased funding and improvements to the guild's facilities. In addition, Councillor Escandell took the opportunity to articulate the need for improved coordination between CiF and Govern Balear coast guard officers.

Monitoring activity at the national park
For her part, Formentera's councillor of environment implored Director General Amengual to ensure that all activity within the Ses Salines park —in addition to boats dropping anchor at any point around the island— received sufficient monitoring, a change that would “lighten the load currently borne by the Formentera coastline”. Assuring the concerns would be taken into account, Amengual indicated her intention to work with the Formentera Council to “preserve habitats and further develop the protectionist part of Xarxa Natura 2000”.

Aguilera and Amengual also visited the interpretive centre at Can Marroig, a facility that —if the CiF has its way— will benefit from renewed assistance from the regional government in Palma. Director General Amengual asserted that for the natural spaces and biodiversity office, “promoting awareness and education is a priority”. She indicated that her office would do its best to satisfy requests from the local group la Cooperativa del Camp (Farmers' Cooperative) that the surrounding area be turned over for cultivation.

Register for families willing to take in Syrian refugees

This coming Monday the Formentera Council —by way of the immigration services of the Council's office of social welfare— will create a list to keep track of island families interested in hosting Syrian refugees. Registration can be completed from nine am to two pm in person at the office of immigration, over the phone by calling 971321271 or sending an email to immigracio2@conselldeformentera.cat.
                
Social welfare councillor Vanessa Parellada indicated the idea for the register came about “because the heart-wrenching plight of these refugees has impacted a great portion of our local population. As an administration we wish to coordinate any work in solidarity that is being done”.

The CiF (Consell Insular de Formentera) is looking into other steps that can be taken to address what Councillor Parellada called “a transcendental issue”, including supporting the Ajuntament de Barcelona-backed project to create a network of refugee-friendly cities.

Now on at municipal gallery in Sant Francesc: La isla

la isla expoCurtains came up yesterday on a series of watercolours called La isla, culled from an illustrated book by its painter-author Julie Aubrun. Formentera—the artist notes—is recognisable throughout the book, though never explicitly mentioned. Aubrun describes the story as somewhere in between mythology and legend, saying it “speaks about the life cycle of objects that exist, disappear and then start over”.

Aubrun, who lives in Barcelona, took a winter trip to Formentera four years ago and confesses to remaining captivated ever since, continuing to draw on inspiration from the minor Pitiüsa islet. The La isla exhibit can be seen at the Old Town Hall (l'Ajuntament Vell) in Sant Francesc through 12 September. Doors of the municipal gallery (la sala d'exposicions) are open from Monday to Saturday, 11 am to 2 pm and 6 to 8 pm.

First meeting between Formentera Council and Balearic port authority

visita de torrellesNoontime today at the seat of the Consell de Formentera, CiF president Jaume Ferrer received a visit from the president of the Autoritat Portuària (port authority) de Balears, Joan Gual de Torrella. As President Ferrer explained at the close of the meeting, it was an opportunity for the two officials to put on the table all the issues that link their respective administrations.

The devolution of usage rights for the lighthouse in la Mola was one issue of particular importance. The port authority president assured the transfer to the Formentera Council of administrative responsibilities was in its final stages, something our local council has awaited in order to give the space a use that is both “social and cultural”.

La Savina port remodel
President Ferrer also used the opportunity to request the regional Balearic authority oversee a comprehensive remodel of the la Savina port. For his part, de Torrella was noted as praising the good-working order of the blue zone parking system in the port, which since springtime has been under the management of the Formentera Council. In the port authority president's words: “Such services, when properly run, will only continue to be successful”.

De Torrella relayed his own hope that construction of Formentera's long-planned port parking terminal would start in the coming months and that its management be put up for public tender. According to the president of Autoritat Portuària de Balears: “We all agree about the importance of these requests”. President de Torrella indicated his desire to draft a four-year plan aimed at successfully carrying out the different projects.

Plenary members agree on outline of 14 projects this legislative session

ple agostParticipants at the August plenary meeting of the Formentera Council have unanimously agreed on a document—addressed to the Govern Balear—delineating the projects on Formentera that require Palma's attention. Consell Insular de Formentera spokesman, Bartomeu Escandell, noted that the outline followed on the heels of an earlier indication by the CiF president in a ceremony for Formentera's Diada de la Illa celebrations that such a measure would be struck across party lines.

The spokesman explained the three courses of action established by the document: improvements to town and country planning; changes to municipal codes/funding scheme improvements; and service improvements. Escandell thanked members of Formentera's different political parties for helping move the agreement forward, which he described as “the chief points we intend to have mark our action during this legislative session”.

Snake control
Members of the plenary also moved unanimously to recommend the Govern Balear initiate a campaign to bridle the importation of snakes. Councillor of environment Daisee Aguilera explained that the measure plenary members agreed to send Palma's environmental office “came on the heels of an observed proliferation of snakes in la Mola” and indicated that “the Conselleria de Medi Ambient is the office responsible for controlling the entry on the island of invasive species”.

The Friday plenary session additionally led to approval of propositions from the conservative party to urge action by the responsible authorities to regulate access to the Es Cap lighthouse and increase both cleaning and patrol operations in the surrounding area. Also approved was a second proposition by the Partido Popular to reinstate the art module at the level of bachillerato, the final two years of post-secondary education in Spain.

Finally, members approved propositions by the political group Compromís amb Formentera to improve trimming of trees that run alongside outdoor utility lines, create signage indicating the presence of beachside parking areas, voting on improvements to signage at heritage sites and making more informational signs on bins and at rubbish drop points.

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