An exploratory dive of Formentera's marine depths and the natural treasures that teem within—plus a lesson about the invaluable posidonia seagrass—was an honour reserved for the pupils of the primary school in el Pilar de la Mola. As part of World Environment Day, Formentera has embarked on a plan to send 120 local students on snorkel tours of Ses Salines park.

Besides diving, Formentera youth will get a look at “El primer viatge” (The maiden journey). It's the latest instalment of a collection entitled “Els secrets i les aventures de Posi” (The secrets and adventures of Posi), which began with last year's “Posi té un do” (Posi's gift). Led by the professional staff of Vell Marí dive centre, the initiative is powered by Fundació La Caixa (€2,635), the Formentera Council (€1,700) and a three euro contribution from each participant. Each pupil will take home a copy of the storybook.

Future excursions are planned for June 8, 9 and 12. The activity is an offshoot of “Save Posidonia Project”, a Council-backed initiative to spread awareness about the important role played by the native seagrass. Posidonia, an underwater plant species and classified World Heritage Site, faces threats in the form of improper anchoring, untreated sewage spills and climate change, among other perils.

Tour of reforested area of Espalmador
When a carelessly tossed flare sparked a blaze on Espalmador last year, the Balearic ministry of environment responded with reforesting efforts. Now, guided tours offer a close-up look of the island's rehabilitated areas.

On Sunday, June 11, a public tour will set out from the western dock of la Savina harbour, next to the port building. Barca Bahia has offered up its resources so that anyone interested in discovering Espalmador can join in.

Starting out at 11.45am, the tour's guides pledge to have passengers back by 4.15pm and to la Savina by 5.00pm. For their part, organisers of Qué Celeste Festival will host their own event: a talk about the dangers posed by rubbish in the sea followed by a short beach cleanup. Visit the Office of Environment in Sant Ferran or contact the office by telephone (971321210) or e-mail (mediambient@conselldeformentera.cat).

Daisee Aguilera and Rafa Gonzàlez, chiefs of the Formentera Council's Offices of Environment and Infrastructure, respectively, oversaw the official public rollout of a new mobile app, Línea Verde, the latest in the Council's arsenal of tools to enlist the local community's involvement in green issues and care for the island.

The app, explained Gonzàlez, “allows users to signal waste which has been improperly disposed of or street furniture in disrepair”.

Available via Google Play and Apple Store, the app lets users select from a variety of options when documenting black spots—at waste bins, streetlighting or street furniture, for example—and flag them on a map. Users can add comments and even attach photographs.

Snags chronicled on the platform are forwarded directly to municipal crews, cleaning service subcontractors and waste collection companies so they can be acted on. As Councillor Aguilera pointed out, the new app has been under trial since November. Over those six months, Council staff and participating users communicated 560 issues, 36% of which concerned rubbish bins.

Last year in a plenary meeting, members of the Formentera Council unanimously adopted a plan to offer islanders the app as a tool to communicate incidents directly.

Environment councillor Daisee Aguilera sat down with representatives from the other Balearic Island Councils and the region's department of environment, agriculture and fishing to discuss a draft decree on posidonia seagrass. In attendance at the tête-à-tête were regional minister Vicenç Vidal and director general of the Balearic office of natural spaces and biodiversity, Miquel Mir.

Applauding the Govern's initiative in seeking input from the councils and other sectors, Aguilera underscored the significance of the decree's “clearly-worded ban of anchoring on posidonia meadows”. Formentera's head of environment voiced her hope the Govern would “include up-to-date maps as part of the new decree, thus equipping crews with explicit information about where they can and cannot drop anchor”. Aguilera said clear.cut information was “the most important tool in preventing damage to the seagrass,” a feeling her opposite numbers echoed.

The Govern plans to unveil the decree and convene a community discussion to involve Formentera residents in the current process. That input session, still to be determined, is expected to take place in two weeks.

Earlier this month, the Formentera Council's Office of Environment embarked on a push to bring mosquito and chironomid numbers under control in several areas of Ses Salines park. Efforts will be concentrated on standing water ponds—the pest's preferred spots to lay larva—around Estany Pudent, Estany des Peix and Salines den Marroig.

Preventive mosquito and midge controls make use of Bacillus thuringiensis Israeliensi, a natural insecticide which acts on mosquito larvae. It is considered biological treatment.

In 2017, two operators will be tasked with administering the treatment in two weekly sessions using ruck-sack units to spray the substance in its pulverised state. According to projections, the undertaking will require 24 full days and conclude in mid-October.

The initial cost is €22,944.19, though if problem areas are detected the administration can opt to expand treatment.