Mallorca backs protection plan for underwater mountains

Mallorca’s underwater mountains could gain strict protection zones after the Balearic Parliament backed a management plan for the formations in the Mallorca Channel on Thursday. All groups supported the move in the Parliament’s Economy Committee except Vox, which abstained. Socialist MP Pilar Carbonero presented the motion.

The plan calls on the Spanish Government and the Balearic Government to work together. It would set out strictly protected areas while allowing properly certified traditional small-scale fishing only where it does not conflict with conservation.

The Parliament also wants the Balearic Government to ask the ministries responsible for ecological transition, agriculture and fisheries to begin the legal process for declaring the formations a marine national park. The proposed layout includes a tightly protected central area with no extractive activities, alongside other areas where use would be regulated.

The mountains already form part of the marine Natura 2000 network, a group of protected sites. Parliament said further protection measures were still needed; Vox voted against that part of the motion.

The People’s Party withdrew a separate planned motion on cutting the environmental impact of nitrous oxide packaging linked to leisure use.

Topics: Agriculture · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com