News

Summer campers take Earth-smart message to street

Friday, 16 August 2019 14:58

escola-estiu-medi-ambient--2-1 Setting up a tent and information stands at plaça de la Constitució in Sant Francesc, about one hundred 6- to 12-year-olds from the Consell de Formentera's three summer camps, or Escoles d'Estiu, staged a day of outreach and environmental awareness-building.

Kids canvassed the square, giving businesses, residents and tourists pamplets highlighting the importance of caring for the planet. The young eco-champions displayed bottles with cigarette butts and microplastics that had been combed from local beaches by Plastic-Free Formentera.

The youth decorated posters with messages calling to cut pollution, turbocharge recycling measures and pursue robust environmental action.

Councillor of youth Vanessa Parellada tied the initiative to this year's theme at the Escoles, 'Breathe the Island'. “We're using footfall in the square to create a megaphone for the effort to ditch plastics, boost recycling and slash our current rates of waste generation”, she said. “Youngsters will take over captaining this ship pretty soon, and everyone has a to play in making Formentera a better place.”

16 August 2019
Communication Department
Consell de Formentera

La Mola lighthouse's freshly minted cultural space logs nearly 12k visits in opening month

Wednesday, 07 August 2019 14:23

foto-2019-far-la-mola-31 Today the Formentera Department of Culture shared figures for the first month of public visits at the cultural space that the Consell has operated out of La Mola's lighthouse since 1 July.

The building received some twelve thousand visitors in July. Roughly ten thousand people came in the first week alone as part of the open days and free admission to commemorate the site's opening. The remaining 1,973 visits were recorded during the final three weeks of July.

In celebration of World Lighthouse Day today, culture councillor Susana Labrador had a message for locals who hadn't yet stopped by for a visit. “Come see it”, she said, “and learn how Formentera's history is entwined with the sea and lighthouses”.

A monument to civil engineering, La Mola's lighthouse was designed by Emili Pou Bonet and completed in 1861. Today the building houses a space which is devoted to culture and to showcasing Formentera's maritime heritage. It is divided into two clearly distinct exhibition spaces. The permanent exhibition explores its main focus—the sea—from a variety of angles: the marine environment, natural resources management, navigation and light signals. A second space is dedicated to temporary art exhibits.

Exhibit from Erwin Broner
Since 19 July, the temporary gallery has hosted an exhibit from Erwin Broner—Obres del llegat de Gisela Broner a Catalina Verdera Ribas—that will continue through 12 October.

Visiting hours and admission
The far, or lighthouse, as well as the display, are open to visitors from 11.00am to 2.00pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and evenings from 5.00pm to 9.00pm on Wednesdays and Sundays. General admission costs €4.50. Admission is waived for Formentera residents, youth under 18 and the unemployed, and pensioners and students pay €2.50.

7 August 2019
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Consell backs Formenterers Solidaris' charitable projects in 2019

Friday, 02 August 2019 12:09

foto-signatura-conveni-forment1 Consell de Formentera president Alejandra Ferrer sat down today with the chair of Formenterers Solidaris, Maria Costa, to sign an agreement between the administration and the local NGO on cooperation projects to support development in developing countries, education and social assistance on the island in 2019.

As part of the deal, the organisation pledges to create and administer cooperation and development projects for developing countries; host lectures, round tables, forums, exhibits and conferences; pay for equipment, material and supplies associated with regular operations; stage food and fundraising drives to collect items to be sent to places in need; administer food packages provided by the Consell de Formentera and support individuals on the island with the most pressing social needs.

The Consell de Formentera pledges €3,000 to meet the costs associated with the actions included in the annual agreement. Social welfare councillor Rafael Ramírez and the organisation's secretary, Teresa Costa, were also present at the signing, which took place 1 August in Consell offices.

2 August 2019
Communication department
Consell de Formentera

Formentera counts vehicles on highways

Tuesday, 06 August 2019 15:45

imatge-carretera-de-la-mola fo1 The Consell de Formentera Mobility Department reports that, from 1 to 12 August, a surveying firm specialised in automated and manual vehicle tallies has been charged with studying how islanders get around the island (walking, cycling, public transport, personal vehicles) and how they are using parking areas.

The effort—one part of the local Sustainable Mobility Strategy—is the second such survey and tally in two years, and will be employed, said department head Rafael González, “to assess this summer's pioneer regulation scheme”.

Data on vehicle ingress and exit will be available when the period of regulation (July and August) concludes. According to González, those figures will be used, along with findings from the current research, “to asses how things have gone this season, and lay the groundwork for the one ahead”.

“So far”, said González, “we know the total number of vehicles on Formentera roads in July 2019 has remained below the same figure from 2018”. He pointed out that, on average, 19,183 cars were cleared to be driven on the island during the first half of the month, compared to 19,880 during the second.

In the final two weeks of July, clearance was extended to 1,428 tourists who brought a personal vehicle with them; to 8,851 tourists who rented a vehicle on the island; to 8,048 Formentera residents and to 1,553 owners of second homes on Formentera, local businesses, freight companies and others.

Quad-free roads
González also said his department would request a report from island law enforcement confirming the absence on local roads of quads. (New regulations prohibit drivers from renting them locally or bringing them onto the island.) Formentera Local Police recently issued a statement that no quads were observed during the seven days before 22 July. González held it up as proof that car hire companies are complying with the new rules, and hailed their efforts.

Complete the quick and easy request for clearance to operate a vehicle during the remainder of August at www.formentera.eco.

6 August 2019
Communication Department
Consell de Formentera

Sustainability at core of new Save Posidonia Project initiative

Thursday, 01 August 2019 15:10

foto-spp gen-gob1 Alejandra Ferrer, Antonio J Sanz and Josep Marí—the president/tourism councillor, environment councillor and primary sector councillor, respectively, of the Consell de Formentera—led today's unveiling of the first-ever push for scientist volunteers. Piloted by nature advocacy group GEN-GOB, the effort is one of two (the other is IMEDEA's Antroposi) that, in 2017, Save Posidonia Project's evaluating committee elected to fund for a two-year run.

President Ferrer traced SPP's origins to the determination within the Consell to promote sustainable tourism and build funding to preserve Posidonia oceanica and educate residents and tourists about the effort. Ferrer pointed out that the project would offer “clearer data about the current state of preservation of this crucial local plant”.

Geolocating coastal impact
The environmental group's €48,836 study involves pinpointing the spots where the seagrass suffers the most intense impact, not to mention gauging the health of posidonia meadows where boats anchor. GEN-GOB's activities coordinator, Marià Marí, pointed out that “one of the things we'll be doing is training students of marine science to study, order and superintend underwater habitats on Formentera's coastline”.

The presentation took place at la Savina port alongside the sailboat Ryujin (El Drac de la Mar). There, from 24 July to 5 August, volunteers from Albacete, Alacant, Murcia, Madrid and Cádiz are on hand to learn the theory and practical aspects of the scientific methodology used by the GEN-GOB marine department to record and evaluate the ecological health of seagrass meadows, impact of mooring watercraft, and other possible strain on the coast.

Inter-guild partnerships
SOLDECOCOS (a shortening of “Society for the Development of Coastal Communities”) is also collaborating in the project by offering use of its boat. The organisation's strategic director, Jorge Sáez, seized the opportunity to present the president of the local fisherman's guild, Iván Pérez, with gifts to initiate a cooperative partnership with a federation of similar guilds in Cádiz.

As a symbol of the will to work together between communities of the Mediterranean Basin, the Cádiz town council presented President Ferrer with salt from the Cádiz salterns and a bottle of virgin olive oil.

1 August 2019
Communication department
Consell de Formentera