The canoeists Marcus Cooper and Joan Toni Moreno carry the flags to the island and, together with the president, Llorenç Galmés, and the Minister of Environment, Rural Affairs and Sports, Pedro Bestard, raise them at the viewpoint of na Miranda.
The Consell de Mallorca has begun the acts of celebration of the 30th anniversary of the denomination of sa Dragonera as a natural park with a commemorative activity: the hoisting of two banners in the viewpoint of na Miranda, located in the same island. The milestone serves to remember and extol the space, for its environmental and landscape values.
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Two flags will fly at sa Dragonera to commemorate the 30 years of its designation as a natural park
The president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, the councillor for the Environment, Rural Affairs and Sports, Pedro Bestard, and the mayoress of Andratx Town Council, Estefanía Gonzalvo, raised the flags, which were collected from the Mallorcan canoeists, Marcus Cooper and Joan Toni Moreno, who carried them by canoe to the island. They were accompanied by the island directors, Lluis Rubí and Toni Prats, and the councillor for the Environment of Andratx Town Council, Antoni Nicolau.
The Consell de Mallorca is celebrating the 30th birthday of sa Dragonera, as a ‘special milestone for its natural and historical heritage, as well as for its biodiversity, which makes it a relevant protected natural space’, said president Galmés. ‘The Consell de Mallorca is continuing its efforts to conserve the historical, cultural and environmental values of the natural park,’ said councillor Pedro Bestard.
The activity began early in the morning, with the arrival at the Club de Vela Puerto de Andratx of the children of the 6th grade of primary school CEIP Els Molins de s’Arracó, where they made an environmental and playful activity. They were accompanied by the two Olympic canoeists, to whom they asked many questions.
From there, the popular sailing boat Rafael Verdera picked up the children and the authorities and took them on the same route as the canoeists to the island. Both Cooper and Moreno carried the two banners that ended up crowning the island by canoe on the final stretch.
A natural park since 1995
We go back to 1987 when the Consell de Mallorca bought the island of sa Dragonera, located at the western end of Mallorca. Later, in 1995, the Government of the Balearic Islands, using Decree 7/1995, of 26th January, declared it a natural park, together with the islands of es Pantaleu and sa Mitjana, guaranteeing for future generations the conservation of its rich biodiversity and scenic beauty.
The Natural Park of sa Dragonera currently has a protected area of 274 hectares. In addition, other community protection figures are integrated, such as the Xarxa Natura 2000, because of the prominent biodiversity of species. The protection of the submerged façade has also been reinforced, both in the inner and outer waters surrounding the island, and it has been declared a marine reserve.
Important milestones over the last three decades
The most important historical milestones in these three decades of the Natural Park of sa Dragonera include the numerous studies and the monitoring of protected species, such as the marine hawk or the endemic lizards that inhabit the island.
In addition, it has joined the participatory process PROGRESS with the local community and the Xarxa Dragonera Blava, which has allowed the development of different joint projects, such as the video on the voices of the community and cultural heritage.
Also, this year a new bird observatory will be set up and the viewpoint of na Miranda, an enclave of great interest to enjoy the views of the channel of sa Dragonera, will be conditioned. The reconstruction of the na Miranda viewpoint is an interesting project for visitors to the island, as it is one of the most visited areas, due to its proximity to the cove of Lledó and its spectacular panoramic views of the island of Mallorca.