/ Town Hall
Wednesday 11th August 2021
CALVIÀ RESUMES THE ANNUAL COASTLINE CLEANING AND AWARENESS RAISING CAMPAIGNS WITH ENTITIES DEDICATED TO THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
With the collection of waste and activities on the beaches, the aim is to make residents and visitors aware on the importance of preserving the natural environment.
This year, despite the restrictions caused by Covid, the Calvià coastline cleaning and awareness raising Campaign has been held, following health regulations at all times. This campaign has been carried out for years thanks to different non-profit organisations, dedicated to the protection of the marine environment, in collaboration with Calvià Town Hall, through the Department of the Environment and Ecological Transition, and the public company Calvià 2000. The year 2021 has had the collaboration of Protema, Mar de Fondo, Save the Med, Red Cross, Seabin Project and the GOB, and the participation of entities such as AMADIP-ESMENT or Bendinat for Future of the IES Bendinat.
Calvià Town Hall's councillor for the Environment, Rafel Sedano, has stated that protecting and sustainably managing the marine and coastal ecosystems of the municipality, promoting and accompanying cleaning and awareness raising campaigns, is one of the main objectives of the Environment Department, in addition to promoting a quality tourist offer and a good image of our beaches. Sedano added that "all these actions are framed within the department's new Strategic Plan for Environmental Education, to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, established in the 2030 agenda, to which the Town Hall is firmly committed." He thanked the time, concern and dedication of all the people and entities that dedicate their efforts to participate in the initiatives, whether they are their own or of the Town Hall.
Cleaning of beaches and seabed
The clean-up sessions are carried out before the beginning of the high season and at the end of the season, with the aim, not only of the cleaning itself, but to raise awareness and sensitise the population, residents and visitors, of the problems posed by any type of waste thrown in the natural environment.
A total of 13 cleaning and awareness raising sessions have been held in Calvià this season on different beaches and marine environments:
832 kg of waste, including iron, glass bottles, plastics, 2 rubber boats, etc. were removed in the seabed cleaning session that was carried out with 14 volunteers and 11 Protema collaborators on the Son Matíes beach.
Around 565 kg of waste, including aluminum, iron, fiberglass, cans and glass, were collected in the 6 days of beach and underwater cleaning which was carried out with Protema volunteers in Santa Ponça bay, and also 62 kg of ropes, chains, plastics, iron beams, etc. as well as heavy pieces from sunken fiberglass boats and engines were removed from Caló d'en Pellisser cove in the cleaning session carried out by Protema, with a total of 20 participants, 9 divers, 2 canoes and 2 boats.
165 kg of waste were collected in the cleaning session carried out by Red Cross volunteers, within the framework of the European 'Let's Clean Up Europe 2021' campaign, in the 'Marina de Magaluf' Critical Biological Area, which also had the collaboration of the Regional Ministry of the Environment and Territory.
In the Punta Nadala area, and with volunteers from the Mar de Fondo association, a cleaning session was carried out in both the earthly and marine part, and 291 plastic containers, 72 hard plastic packaging, 10 plastic bottles, 29 cardboard containers, 34 cans, 176 microplastics, 34 glass bottles, 33 cigarette butts, 10 fishing lines and 8 pieces of wood from ship wrecks were collected.
Other actions that have been carried out have been in Caleta de Portals Nous, with Mar de Fondo; on Es Carregador beach, with Save The Med and with the participation of AMADIP-ESMENT; and in Port Adriano, with Mar de Fondo and Seabin Project, with the participation of the Bendinat for Future team from IES Bendinat.
Awareness raising and volunteering campaigns
Another type of actions that are carried out are the awareness-raising and volunteering campaigns.
Since 2016, Red Cross has carried out land and maritime environmental surveillance activities in the Portals Vells area. Every Saturday, from mid-June to mid-September, two volunteers walk along the beaches and coves in the area, collecting waste and informing on the environmental regulations of Cala Figuera area. In addition, two people sail with two kayaks along the coastline to inform people on boats on the regulations and monitor non-compliance, especially related to illegal anchoring on posidonia.
On the other hand, the GOB's SOS Posidonia awareness raising campaign was carried out on s'Oratori beach in Portals, for a week last July, by informing on the problems suffered by the Posidonia habitat and giving tools on how the population can contribute to the conservation and protection of this endemic Mediterranean species.
