The regional environment ministry is demanding that the Spanish government sticks to a promise for nine more environment agents to be employed on the Balearic coast. These agents should have started work in July, the national directorate biodiversity having said that they will assist in "guaranteeing respect for the regulations for the conservation of biodiversity".
The national ministry for ecological transition had also announced that three more boats for monitoring the marine environment would be made available before the autumn. The regional ministry at present has fifty vessels for coastal control operations: 15 for the posidonia surveillance service; 22 for the coastal cleaning service; seven for control of ecological buoys; four for monitoring natural spaces; and two for environment agents.
The Balearic director general director for natural spaces and biodiversity, Llorenç Mas, explains that the state has responsibilities for marine areas and the coasts, despite the fact that the regional ministry allocates "all available resources to monitor protected areas". "The pressure on the Balearic Sea, especially during the summer, means that the state must allocate the necessary resources."
The Spanish ministry for ecological transition is therefore being urged to incorporate the nine agents and three boats as soon as possible. The objectives are the integrated management of surveillance and expansion of existing functions; control of and information regarding the environmental effects of boats on posidonia meadows; the rescue of marine fauna such as turtles or cetaceans; the monitoring of bird nesting; the monitoring of other environmental effects on the marine environment.