The Director General of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity, Llorenç Mas, and technicians from the Natura 2000 Network have met with representatives of GEN-GOB to agree on the first measures to be carried out in the Pitiüses, within the framework of the marine custody agreement between the two parties, now that the Natura 2000 Management Plan Illots del llevant d’Eivissa… has been approved.
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At the meeting, priority lines of action were defined to implement specific projects that contribute to the preservation of the natural environment and make it compatible with its use.
Thus, participatory workshops will be held with the fishing sector to inform them of the harm caused by the accidental capture of protected species such as the ‘virot petit’, an endemism in critical danger of extinction, which is one of the key species included in the management plan. They will also involve them in finding joint solutions.
The Plan requires the implementation of mitigation measures to prevent incidental catches of seabirds in fishing gear and establishes a two-year period for vessels to implement them.
The other project aims to encourage businesses to join the Natura 2000 Nature Tourism Sustainability Recognition Scheme. It is aimed at companies engaged in activities in the marine areas of these protected areas in Eivissa and Formentera. The goal is to achieve involvement and commitment to the conservation of these areas.
The director general of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity, Llorenç Mas, explained the importance of setting up a project like this one, which “thanks to a pioneering agreement in Spain, social agents and citizens will participate directly in the conservation of protected natural spaces”. “Environmental education and training are key elements in guaranteeing the preservation of such emblematic places as Tagomago”, added Mas.
The meeting was held within the framework of the agreement signed last December between the Conselleria and the environmental organisations Soldecocos and GENGOB, which initiated a pilot project, the first of its kind in Spain, for marine stewardship in the Pitiüses, involving society in the conservation of the Natura 2000 network. The director general took the opportunity to visit the Ses Salines Natural Park interpretation centre, which has reopened its doors to the public.