Post by pigeonpie on Aug 13, 2010 5:57:40 GMT
Safeguarding the island’s indigenous botanical life
The conservation of the island’s plant life and the reintroduction of extinct species are the aims of the Life Reneix project which started in September last year. The 1.5 million euro budget for the scheme is being financed equally by the European Union and the Island Council.
The project will protect the habitat in areas such as Es Murtar, Ets Alocs, Binimel·là and the Barranc d’Algendar where plants considered to be of major importance, whether for their rarity value or because they are endemic to one specific area, are to be found. Some species are only to be found on the island, such as the Mediterranean violet (‘viola stolonifera’) or the ‘vicia bifoliolata’ which is only found in Es Murtar; others, like the ‘lysimachia minoricensis’, were endemic to Menorca but are now extinct in the wild and are only to be found in botanical collections. These will be reintroduced to their former habitats in the hope that they will once again thrive.
One of the most common threats to plant life is the volume of building that has taken place over the past few decades, together with the construction of vehicle accesses and the impact of humans on the coastline.
