The Formentera Council Office of Infrastructure has overseen improvements to courtyards at the four local learning centres —three primary schools and the secondary school— and two children's parks. Plus, accessibility obstacles were removed in every town across the island, part of an effort that, according to infrastructure councillor Rafael González, also entailed creating 16 accessible crosswalks, one wheelchair accessible entrance at a park for young children and two pavement upgrades.

All of the betterment projects were requested by the Consell d'Entitats last May, when Formentera's associations selected what they felt were the two most pressing initiatives from a list of twelve and fast-tracked them for execution before year-end. The two winning proposals —removal of so-called “architectural barriers” and upgrades at playgrounds and children's parks— received 100,000 and 150,000 euros respectively.

Playgrounds and kids' parks
The lion's share of improvement works was undertaken in August and September to ensure completion in time for returning schoolchildren. Playground equipment at La Mola's primary school was fitted with protective rubber and two basketball hoops were also installed on site. Sant Ferran's school got a shaded area and upgrades were made around planter boxes. Another shaded area was installed at Sant Francesc's Mestre Lluís Andreu school, part of works that included more protective rubber and miscellaneous improvements. Marc Ferrer secondary school was equipped with a shaded area and benches. Councillor González added that all of the upgrades had been requested by the schools' administrations.

Work at parks began in October, first at Es Pujols' children's park, with new playground equipment, fencing and benches and revamped protective rubber surfaces. The kids' park in Ses Bardetes got a fresh rubber surface as well, along with three new playground toys, artificial turf, new lighting and a shaded area.

Barriers to accessibility
Accessibility obstacles were removed in every town on the island. A pedestrian crossing was created at the crossroads of carrers Talaiassa and Àngela Ferrer with the new access extending to the nearby school's entrance. Another such crossing was installed across highway PM-820 in Es Caló. In Sant Ferran an additional two such crosswalks were created along carrer Guillem Montgrí.

A pedestrian crossing was added along avinguda 8 d'agost in Sant Francesc. Accessibility improvements were also made in Ses Bardetes. The area of Sa Roqueta got four accessible crosswalks and another two were fitted in nearby Es Pujols at carrer Espalmador and avinguda Miramar, the latter granting access to that town's kid's play area. Four pedestrian crossings were installed in la Savina around plaça Illes Pitiüses. Lastly, pavement improvements are taking place this week along carrer de Ca Marí 5.

This is the first time improvements requested by the local associations' council are overseen by the Formentera Council. The community initiative turns on what is known as “participatory budgets”.

The Formentera Council Office of Environment has launched an effort to control the spread of the pine processionary caterpillar. According to Daisee Aguilera, councillor in charge of the department, two professional forestry workers have been brought in to oversee a three-week push that will include removal and controlled burning of the pine processionary's nests.

Members of Es Cap de Barbaria's hunters' club have volunteered to shoot down nests from otherwise out of reach pine-tops. In addition to financing the campaign, whose cost so far stands at 7,547 euros, the Council has helped the local shooters in their task by purchasing 2,500 shotgun cartridges.

Area of action
This year, besides operations in Es Cap de Barbaria, considered the hardest hit area on the island, controls will be extended to parts of Sant Francesc, Ses Bardetes and Ses Salines park, where the caterpillar has also turned up, albeit in reduced numbers. Aguilera stressed the pine processionary's spread across the new areas of action, in the periphery of the current centre, remained unsubstantial. “However,” she said, “the aim behind extending nest removal to these zones is to stop the insect's expansion”.

Local involvement
Aguilera turned to Formentera residents for help identifying pine trees affected by the pest. Anyone with useful information is asked to call the Office of Environment at  971 32 12 10 or visit the Citizen Information Office (OAC), in person or online.

The Council thanked the administration in Palma for its speed in this initial phase of the campaign, which included on-the-ground treatment measures. This move came on the back of a proposal that was unanimously adopted at the Council's September 30 plenary session last year. In October and November, members of Ibanat, the wilderness brigade in the Balearics, were tasked with a push to control the insect's spread using a spray treatment.

Formentera residents rejected aerial application of a chemical agent called diflubenzuron in 2014 on the grounds that the method wasn't selective and had known detrimental effects on flora, fauna and human health.

“A technical meeting to review our control efforts to date is being planned for the end of February. Based on that information we'll recalibrate our strategy as we move forward combating the pine processionary's spread,” concluded the councillor.