According to the Balearic Government, the Sustainable Tourism Tax allows the hiring of “dune informers” for the islands’ protected areas. The aim of these contracts is to guarantee the protection of the dune systems. The dunes are an ecological refuge for many indigenous species. One of the main functions of these informers is to make beach users aware of the dune ecosystem in which they are located. Since last weekend, different environmental informers have been working to publicise five protected areas in the Balearic Islands. The so-called plan for ‘carrying out environmental information activities related to the dune systems in areas of environmental relevance in the Balearic Islands’ aims to involve beach users in the conservation of these protected areas and to avoid uncivic behaviour, such as leaving rubbish on the beaches or accessing restricted areas of dune and forest regeneration.
Other tasks of these informers is to remind visitors that they can only walk along the existing paths for this purpose, respecting the dune cordon and obeying the signs in these protected areas. In this way, the aim is to prevent users from treading on protected vegetation or altering the dune ecosystem of these areas. The environmental informers also warn of the importance of collecting the waste generated by visitors themselves, as well as the importance of recycling it correctly.
Es Trenc, s’Albufera and Cala Mondragó are the protected areas of Mallorca that have these environmental informers. These informers ensure that users comply with the rules for 5 or 6 hours a day from Monday to Sunday, depending on the occupation of the beaches and protected areas. The informers will work for two and a half months during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
It should be noted that, according to the Balearic Government, these new actions and contracts have been financed thanks to the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) with 111,364 € in the framework of the project ‘Recuperació dels sistemes dunars en espais de rellevància ambiental de les Illes Balears’ with a total budget of 823,000 €.
Many beaches in Mallorca do not have environmental informers, but the Government has decided to reinforce protection in the spaces already declared as areas of special environmental interest. This is because Es Trenc, s’Albufera and Cala Mondragó are the most representative natural areas of Mallorca in terms of biodiversity of species and natural coastal landscapes. Dune systems are very fragile and vulnerable ecosystems. It is considered a priority to protect them, as they are included in the “Xarxa Natura 2000” and are a sand shelter for the beaches after big storms.
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