C.M.W..MaóThe President of the Island Council, Joana Barceló, the Councillor for the Environment and Biosphere Reserve, Fina Casals, and the head of the Biosphere Reserve Department, Joan Juaneda, last week presented a proposal for the creation of a national park on the north coast of Menorca which would include tracts of land and sea.
An area of 8,392 hectares between Cala Morell and Cala Tirant has been set out for the park by the Island Council, stretching down as far as the outskirts of the Ferreries District and including estates with high ecological and patrimonial values such as S´Enclusa and Santa Águeda. The proposed park would have a 42-kilometre long coastline from Punta Nati to La Mola in Fornells. The sea area included would cover some 26,000 hectares. The proposal also incorporates a section of land 1 kilometre in width which would act as a buffer zone between the park and industrialised zones.
According to Joan Juaneda, the area to be set aside encompasses a wide variety of ecological systems such as: the Basses de Lluriac in Es Mercadal, considered to be the third most-important wetland area on the island; the wooded areas of Sa Muntanya Mala; Algaiarens and Binidelfà; the sand dune systems at La Vall, Cala Pilar and Cavalleria; areas of ornithological importance; plus archaeological remains, including the Roman port of Sanitja, the Moslem castle of Santa Águeda and the megolithic sites at Binidonaire and Es Puig Julià.
The Department of the Environment has issued a favourable report on the project but the various departments and institutions involved will have to come to an agreement before the idea can progress further.
National park status implies that the zone in question will receive the maximum amount of protection possible for a natural area, but will still allow economic activities, such as farming, to be carried out with a possibility of financial advantages, such as subsidies, being available.
