/ Town Hall
Thursday, 30th November 2017
THE PROJECT 'LA MAR' FINISHES THAT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR HAS BEEN EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF THE ANCHORS ON THE COAST OF CALVIÀ AND THE HEALTH STATE OF THE POSIDONIA
The Town Hall of Calvià, through the IFOC with the participation of the SOIB and the co-financing of the Public State Employment Service (SEPE) and the European Social Fund (ESF), has carried out, under the umbrella of Treballs de sostenibilitat ambiental, the "La Mar" project. A Biologist and a Civil Engineer are the co-authors of this project that has been on during these last 9 months from the Town Hall of Calvià, through the Environment Department.
From the beginning two clear objectives were marked; On the one hand, evaluate the anchoring pressure of the existing boats and, on the other hand, learn more on the health state of the Posidonia oceanica. It began with a measurement, from March to October, of the vessels anchored in: Els Ametllers, Son Maties, Portals Vells, Cala Figuera, Santa Ponça and Cala Fornells. At the same time, dives took place in Santa Ponça and Portals Vells that allowed, through biological descriptors, to know the current health state of the Posidonia oceanica meadows. These data were analyzed and interpreted offering relevant data.The diagnosis concluded an unfavorable-inadequate state in Santa Ponça and in the case of Portals Vells an unfavorable-bad state with a high level of isolation among the meadows as well as evidence of dead Posidonia habitat, that is, imbalances in the littoral coastal. All this led, based on a technical analysis, to establish specific objectives:
Santa Ponça: maintain and preserve. Beached areas of free anchorage are proposed on non-vegetated sand bottoms and a field of 24 buoys on Posidonia with ecological anchorage. With this approach, the current boat pressure is reduced by more than 50%.
Portals Vells: restore and preserve. The definition of a Marine Protection Area is suggested extended to the whole area of the cove with prohibition of anchoring of any kind, requesting ecological continuity and thus annexing the LIC of Cap de Cala de Figuera.
In this way the project offers, on the one hand, the basis for future actions of the Government and on the other hand, and in parallel to the processing of the decree on Posidonia oceanica in the Balearic Islands, it presents together with the appropriate allegations to the aforementioned decree for its mandatory consideration. This closes the cycle of a project of municipal interest and now passes the baton to the Regional Ministry for Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries.
It is worth mentioning the meetings and presentations held with the different stakeholders such as ports, participants and supra-municipal bodies as well as with the Governing Board of Calvià, presenting the results and final conclusions of the "La Mar" project.
We have the collaboration of entities such as the Nautical Club of Santa Ponça, ZOEA, Isurus, Palma Diving, Apnea Mallorca that provided us with the material and resources necessary for the dives. We also collaborate with Santa Ponça Nautical Club, Palma Nova Nautical Club, Port Portals, Port Adriano, Balearic Sea and Portals Vells in awareness and dissemination programs. As well as the participation of professionals who guided us in the achievement of the project.
