The Environment Council starts today three patrols of environmental surveillance that will develop their functions in three areas and with different functions with special emphasis on environmental education.
Thus, the first group will carry out fire prevention activities in the Sierra de Oltá mountains and at the same time, from the hut in the camping area that gives access to Oltà, they will carry out the inspection of campers and will carry out environmental education activities in the area of fire prevention.
The second of these patrols will carry out surveillance and quality control functions on the beaches and will inform beach users about environmental aspects, with special attention to explaining what Posidonia is and the need for it not to be removed from the beaches.
The aim is to make bathers aware of the oceanic meadow, as they tend to consider it as dirt when the presence of remains of this species both in the water and on the sand is a clear sign of good water quality and indicates that the water is clean and free of pollution. These vigilantes will insist on the fundamental role of Posidonia in preventing the loss of sand from the beaches and its importance as a source of rich marine biodiversity due to the great diversity of species it harbours, and at the same time that it is a vulnerable species, hence the need to protect it. This brigade will carry out the educational functions required for Blue Flag certification.
And the third brigade, which will work in collaboration with Acciona, will focus on enforcing the ordinance on uncontrolled dumping, elimination of pruning waste, removal of household goods and furniture, avoiding the accumulation of waste in the vicinity of the containers, etc. To this end, they will carry out their surveillance and information tasks in the town centre and residential areas.
The councillor for the Environment stressed the importance of informing residents and tourists about environmental issues as "this type of education allows us to prevent fires, keep our streets clean and learn about the importance of protecting Posidonia, given the role this plant plays at an environmental level".