Biosphere Minorca

MENORCA BIOSPHERE

UNESCO declared Menorca as a biosphere reserve on October 8, 1993, taking into account the high degree of compatibility achieved between the development of economic activities, the consumption of resources and the conservation of a heritage and a landscape that has maintained, and continues maintaining exceptional quality today. Menorca is a territory with a very rich traditional rural landscape. It is home to a notable diversity of Mediterranean habitats, where species of animals and plants unique to the island live, some of them in danger of extinction.

Around the world there are more than 400 biosphere reserves where the concept of sustainable development is being experimented with. They are places in which human activity is carried out in a way compatible with the conservation of natural resources and cultural heritage. Menorca is part of the Spanish Network of Biosphere Reserves and maintains contacts with other biosphere reserves affiliated with the Man and Biosphere Program (MaB Program) of UNESCO.

The Consell Insular de Menorca, institutionally responsible for the reserve, has opted for sustainability, so that future generations of residents and visitors can continue enjoying the natural resources and landscape beauty that we have today. For this reason, we act with caution on the territory, to maintain in the long term the quality of life and environmental values that have earned the UNESCO declaration.
As a biosphere reserve, these are the challenges of Menorca:
• Promote the conservation of activities that maintain the traditional landscape and avoid those that could degrade it. For this, Menorca has the Insular Territorial Plan (PTI), which organizes the territory, ensuring sustainability and regulating urban growth.
• Strengthen the conservation of natural ecosystems and native fauna and flora, if they are threatened. To achieve this, campaigns are carried out to eradicate invasive flora and protect threatened species and the most unique habitats.
• Deepen the knowledge of natural and cultural wealth. For this, research is carried out on the archaeological and natural heritage.
• Define sustainability strategies at the local level. For this, each municipality has its Local Agenda 21 and its own Environmental Action Plan.
• Environmentally manage the coastline and beaches, which are the basis of tourist activity, through the protection of dune and marine ecosystems. To achieve this, manual cleaning is prioritized and the occupancy of the beaches is regulated.
• Minimize the environmental impact of daily human activities. To do this, all waste fractions are separated and properly treated: organic waste, paper, glass and packaging.
• Become an outdoor sustainability laboratory. For this purpose, the Menorca Socio-Environmental Observatory (OBSAM) has been created, which collects and analyzes the most relevant information on the biosphere reserve.

With the collaboration of Menorcan society, some NGOs and companies on the island, Menorca is carrying out development strategies to take advantage of its natural wealth and, at the same time, preserve it. To continue turning challenges into realities we also need the support of visitors, since all together we can contribute to making possible a development that is truly respectful of the environment.

CONSERVATION

Menorca has an extensive natural and cultural heritage that must be protected and cared for, both inland and in the marine environment. The animal and plant life is very rich and varied, and there are also endemic species. The other key element for conservation is the historical and cultural heritage of the territory. Menorca, which has been inhabited for centuries, has seen several civilisations pass through it. The traces of all of them have shaped the island we have today. The conservation projects are focused on:

protected territories and areas

geodiversity

biodiversity

marine environment

beaches

history and culture

SUSTAINABILITY

The commitment to advance along the path of sustainability means that Menorca is committed to creating a framework for the relationship between people and the environment that makes possible the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage, socioeconomic development, research and education for sustainability. Therefore, it is the task of all the actors in the territory, administration, private initiatives and citizens, to work together to establish a development model based on the concept of sustainability, the most important points of which are:

energy and mobility

climate change

night sky

food

water resources

waste

local development

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

Research is one of the basic pillars on which the Biosphere Reserve is based, providing criteria and arguments that improve the direct management of the territory, both through own research, through support to other entities, or by promoting the exchange of knowledge to through meetings or conferences. For this reason, a Research Program is currently being developed with the basic lines for the coming years:

study and research aid

research projects

centers and entities

congresses and conferences

SENSITIZATION

Raising awareness is one of the key axes that form part of the declaration of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve. With the aim of promoting citizen participation and awareness, various actions are carried out, including: the publication of informative material, the holding of workshops and environmental education programs and the organization of volunteering and citizen participation days. Specifically, some initiatives are being carried out that include:

environmental education plan

cycle "One island, one sea"

Ona magazine

Biosphere Reserve itineraries and centers

social participation

cycle of geology, nature and culture activities

Climate change is one of the main challenges facing societies around the world. Its advance caused by greenhouse gas emissions has raised global alarm and has placed the urgent need for mitigation on the international agenda. This situation requires a profound transformation of the current energy model to eliminate dependence on fossil fuels, as well as prevention and adaptation to climate change.

The Menorca 2030 Strategy is the result of the collective work of a large number of organisations, institutions, companies and individuals who, from different disciplines, made a commitment to what was already a social and political consensus: Menorca's energy transition.

A roadmap to decarbonise Menorca's energy system from the current configuration towards a model based on renewables. It takes as reference frameworks the EU Roadmap 2050 decarbonisation plan, the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition of the Balearic Islands and the principles of Menorca's distinction as a Biosphere Reserve. In this way, it defines the island's energy transition to establish priorities, actions to be carried out, the establishment of collaboration, support and financing channels and constitutes a guide for decision-making in the public and private sectors.
The document is intended to be a comprehensive decarbonisation plan that mobilises funding, technical support, technical and financial support, and a set of actions to be carried out in order to achieve a sustainable energy transition.

The document aims to be a comprehensive decarbonisation plan that mobilises financing, technical support and regulatory changes, and establishes a timetable with three major milestones: by 2020 it plans to cover 18% of electricity demand with energy from renewables, by 2025 with 54% and by 2030 to make the great leap to 85% coverage of electricity demand from renewables.
Many of the initiatives described in this strategy are already underway. Others will begin in the future to meet the ambitious targets set.

Approval of the Menorca 2030 Strategy
On 15 April 2019, the Island Council of Menorca approved the Strategy, which specifies the roadmap that Menorcan society has adopted to promote the decarbonisation of the energy system. In this way, Menorca joined the efforts being made at European and international level to mitigate the effects of climate change, and which are specified, given the characteristics of the territory, in the European Commission's initiative "Clean Energy for EU Islands", of which Menorca has been an active part since February 2019.

Clean Energy For EU Islands Project
In February 2019 the European Commission includes Menorca among the 26 European islands within the energy transition agenda through the Clean Energy for EU Islands project. A project that will provide technical and economic support for the decarbonisation of Menorca. Menorca thus becomes the first European island to have a roadmap for achieving the European objectives and is at the forefront of the transition.

Menorca's Strategic Guidelines
In 2016, the process of drawing up the Menorca Strategic Guidelines (DEM) began, the Consell Insular de Menorca thus committed to a change of energy model. The DEM drew up a detailed diagnosis of the current energy system that would serve as a starting point for the development of the Menorca 2030 Strategy.