The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, through the Directorate General for the Natural Environment and Forestry Management, has presented at the fair the main actions for the improvement of protected natural areas, the prevention of forest fires, the recovery of habitats and the fight against invasive species and forest pests.
The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, through the Directorate General for the Natural Environment and Forest Management, was present today at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London. In a presentation given by the Director General for the Natural Environment and Forestry Management, Anna Torres, the Government presented the projects that have been carried out and are currently underway, as well as future planned actions financed by the sustainable tourism tax (ITS) aimed at the conservation and restoration of the natural environment and biodiversity of the Balearic Islands.
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The Government presents projects financed with funds from the sustainable tourism tax for the conservation and restoration of the natural environment and biodiversity of the Balearic Islands at the World Travel Market in London.
Torres, accompanied by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzà, detailed the main actions that have already been carried out and those that will be implemented in the coming years to improve protected natural areas, prevent forest fires and combat invasive species and forest pests in the archipelago. In this regard, the director general stressed that ‘our presence at this fair, with the presentation and explanation of the main projects funded by the ITS, reaffirms the Government’s commitment to disseminating the importance of the conservation of natural areas so that both the population and visitors can enjoy our islands sustainably and safely. That is why we are sending out the message that these ITS funds are earmarked for environmental policies and that they are a tool for improving our natural spaces.
During the presentation ceremony, the increase in ITS-funded investments in the natural environment from 2023 was highlighted. ‘There are more than 11.5 million euros allocated to this Directorate General in 2023, and almost 22 million euros requested for the period 2024-2025. This represents a very significant increase compared to previous years, since from 2016 to 2023 the total amount was 13.6 million euros,’ Torres stressed. The most noteworthy actions, in this sense, have been those of conservation and recovery of habitats and degraded areas in natural spaces, the prevention of forest fires, the fight against invasive species and actions focused on the control and improvement of forest health.
Thus, the extraordinary call of the ITS of 2023, highlights the renovation project of agroforestry machinery of the Balearic Institute of Nature (IBANAT), funded with more than 5.2 million euros, or the construction of a new centre for the Consortium for the Recovery of Fauna of the Balearic Islands (COFIB) in the Pitiusas and the fight against invasive species, with an investment of almost 2.6 million euros. In addition, for the coming years, the Government will continue in the same line, with new projects in environmental education, fire and forest pest control, promotion of local biomass consumption and improvement of public facilities in protected natural areas of the Balearic Islands, among other projects.
Finally, the presentation was used to project a video to raise awareness of the protection of one of the most emblematic habitats of the Balearic Islands, the Posidonia oceanica, which explained the importance of marine phanerogams and the different actions and services that the Government is carrying out throughout the archipelago to conserve this marine plant.