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The Balearic Governments most recent project,
the Pla d'Ordenació de Recursos Naturals (PORN), will
be active from October of this year.
The PORN organization will be dedicated
to conserving specific green areas on the island such as sa
Talaia and Cala d'Hort by making sure that these areas are
not submitted to urbanization.
Cala d'Hort will be the first area protected
by the new project. From October, all building permits will
be cancelled, and the green belt will be converted into a
Natural Park.
The only construction plans that may receive
permits will be those dedicated to agriculture and farming,
even then there will be restrictions. Also there will be places
of special conservation where construction will be totally
prohibited.
A councillor of the political party "Els
Verds" (The Green Party), Joan Buades sees the new proposal
as being very positive for the island as it will give tourists
the chance to appreciate the Ibicencan landscape in all its
splendour.
Remodelling of ses Feixes in Ibiza Town
The Lord Mayor of Ibiza Town, Xico Tarrés
and the president of the Consell Insular (the islands council),
Pilar Costa signed an agreement last Saturday to commence
a clean-up project in the area of ses Feixes de Talamanca
in Ibiza Town.
The project proposed by the town hall and
the Consell Insular involves the rehabilitation of the water
purifying plant and its surroundings as well as the construction
of an ethnologic museum. This project opens the doors for
the future possibility of guided excursions to the area accompanied
by detailed facts on the history of ses Feixes de Talamanca.
Pilar Costa hopes that the project will
be under way in one months time and that it will take no more
than three months to complete.
The Commission of Agriculture extends
the 'closed fishing season'
The Balearic Commission of Agriculture and
Fishing has extended the period of the 'closed fishing season'
for the "xyrichthys novacula", a fish commonly known
as the Ibicencan raor, by fifteen days.
The reason behind the extension is because
the numbers of raor fish that could be found in the Mediterranean
Sea have decreased over the years. The closed season now extends
from the 1st April to the 15th of August.
Local fishermen, as well as the Balearic
Federation of Fishing and Casting, became worried about the
statistics so they decided to take action.
The period of fishing prohibition permits
the population of raor fish to multiple so that the danger
of losing one of Ibiza's most finest breed of fish no longer
worries the local fishermen.
Summer Sales
From the 16th July all the local shops on
the island will be able to display their 'summer sales' signs
again. The sales have been brought forward one week in comparison
to last year after the Government received various complaints
from different businesses on the island who claimed that the
late date set for the summer period of discounts and promotions
had caused Ibicencan companies to lose out financially.
Even though the dates have been brought
forward, the Balearic Islands still commence their summer
sales fifteen days later than mainland Spain.
Campaign against the dangers at sea
The Minister responsible for public affairs,
along with the State Marine Service and the Marine Coastguard
Service, has presented a campaign to alert the general public
about the risks of the sea.
Most of the accidents that occur in the
Mediterranean waters during the summer months involve private
boats and are avoidable if the correct safety measures are
taken.
The campaign consists of the publication
of various informative leaflets available in English, Spanish,
French and German, which offer information on how to avoid
accidents. The pamphlets cater not only for boats but also
for jet-skies, surfers and divers.
The Marine Coastguard Service offers tips
on how to keep the sea clean and uncontaminated as well as
talking about the essentials everyone should carry when going
out to sea: a life jacket most be warn at all times, some
flares and a small mirror to signal in case of danger; and
a bottle of water.
The Marine Coastguard Service is certain
that if everyone follows their tips, the Mediterranean Sea
will be a safer and cleaner place for all.
Three Government campaigns to save energy
The objective of three new publicity campaigns
organized by the Balearic Government is to promote energy
saving.
The cost of the campaigns is estimated at
150 million pesetas, but necessary to reduce the energy consumption
on the islands.
The first campaigns will commence this summer
under the logo: "Save energy, preserve the environment".
Catalán classes for foreigners
Seven residents on the island are participating
in a Catalán crash course organized by the island council
(Consell Insular). The intensive classes commenced on Monday
2nd July and will last for two weeks in which time the participants
will learn the basics of Catalán grammar.
This project is designed to insure that
the traditional Ibicencan language is never lost and that
the foreigner will have the opportunity to obtain knowledge
and understand the culture of Ibiza by learning a language
that is present in their every day lives.
7% of students in Ibiza do not speak
Spanish or Catalán
The town hall of Ibiza has started a new
project, which will facilitate the incorporation of immigrants
into the Spanish educational system. Statistics show that
during the school year of 2000/2001, 7% of students in Ibiza
could not speak any language derived from Latin, such as Spanish
or Catalán.
The 'Municipal Programme of Immigrants'
is centred around a multicultural translator who will communicate
with students parents making sure they understand the educational
system and their rights and obligations. The parents will
also be informed on how to obtain grants and other financial
help if necessary.
The objective of this new project is to
obtain a positive feeling amongst cultures, turning Ibiza
into an ideal multicultural society.
Campaign against skin cancer
The 'Asociación Española Contra
el Cáncer' (AECC), the Spanish equivalent of the English
Imperial Cancer Research Fund, initiated a new campaign on
the 10th July to alert sun-worshipers about the dangers of
skin cancer, especially in the summer months when the sun
is at its strongest.
The AECC, in collaboration with the 'Official
School of Pharmacists' and the laboratories 'La Roche-Posay',
will commence their three day campaign in Figueretas and continue
to visit the most popular beaches on the island.
Louise Wright
louisewright@ibizahistoryculture.com
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