Environmentalists GOB yesterday restated their demand for the Balearic government and other public institutions to limit human pressure through a reduction in the number of tourist accommodation places. The organisation advocates a two-for-one principle. For any new accommodation place, two should be removed.
At a meeting in Minorca, GOB representatives referred to the "emergency situation" which exists in the Balearics and to the need for "urgent" measures. Included among these, in GOB's view, should be a reduction in tourist pressure and contamination caused by planes and cruise ships.
Other measures would be a change in land classification to stop further development by the coasts and in areas of special natural interest. Property speculation needs to be addressed; rules regarding the protection of posidonia sea grass should be enforced; new construction should have zero impact in terms of water and energy use; and the tax system needs to be revised in order to bring in ecological criteria.