- The total cost of the plans exceeds €23.5 million and the Consell of Ibiza intends to obtain €17.3 million from the Balearic eco-tax coffers in order to finance them.
- Four of the projects belong to the island institution and the rest corresponds to various municipalities of the island.
- One of the initiatives aims to protect Posidonia – a type of seagrass found around the island, whose replacement causes losses of €25 million.
The Consell de Ibiza has presented 11 projects to be financed by the Sustainable Tourism Tax, more commonly known as the eco-tax, with a cost of more than €23.5 million, for which it requests funding of €17.3 million. The remaining balance will be contributed by the island's institutions with their own resources.
The Minister of Presidency and Environmental Management (El conseller de Presidencia y Gestión Ambiental), Vicent Roig, that four of the projects are managed by the island institution and that the other seven are initiatives of various town councils of the island, coordinated by the Consell.
The Minister of Presidency and Environmental Management proposes the creation of a Central Fire Station Insular Park, to adapt the facilities and improve the services; temporary equipment for marine emergency service and security forces, which will allow the adaptation of the pavilion in Sa Coma to house the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard in order to protect the Posidonia and fight against its destruction.
Ibiza loses between 1-5% of its Posidonia seagrass underwater meadows every year
Posidonia is a type of seagrass which grows in the Mediterranean. Posidonia oceanica has been called “the lungs of the Mediterranean” because it is one of the most important sources of oxygen provided to coastal waters. Ibiza loses between 1-5% of its Posidonia seagrass underwater meadows every year, which equates to 13,934 hectares of the marine plant per year. The cost of this in economic terms is €25 million, based on the cost of replanting the seagrass at a cost of €102,000 per hectare.
The other projects of the Consell are the creation of the Museum of the Sea and Fisheries of Ibiza (Museo del Mar y la Pesca de Ibiza) and the rehabilitation of the Phoenician settlement of Sa Caleta and creation of an on-site museum, and the completion of a project to build an interpretation centre which was started in 2011.
As for the town hall projects, five are from Santa Eulària and Sant Joan.
Source: Hosteltur