The Consell Insular de Formentera has decided to intervene motu proprio on the coast due to the lack of action by the Spanish government (competent administration) in maintaining the protection elements of the dune systems of the Natural Park of Ses Salines.

In the Balearic Islands, the coastal space not only constitutes an environmental heritage of the highest order, but is also a structural pillar of the Archipelago's economy and identity. Coastal ecosystems —beaches, dunes, salt flats, lagoons, cliffs, and posidonia meadows— function as interconnected and inseparable habitats, part of a harmonious whole. Their preservation is key to the good health of marine and terrestrial biodiversity and, moreover, represents a factor of excellence in the tourism model.From this point of view, the tendency to privatize or regulate in favor of commercial interests, as is the case with the new coastal law that the Government of the Balearic Islands intends, represents a direct threat to these strategic values. Continuing to bet on a coastline as a space for private exploitation implies displacing public interest and degrading the most valuable resource that sustains the Balearic economy: its natural environment. The coast should not be understood as a marketable good, but as a common, vital, and organic asset for citizens and also for visitors. In this order, brazenly, not the other way around. The Balearic Islands are a country and, incidentally, a tourist destination, we cannot fail to take this into account.The Government, with the new regulation, intends to save irregular buildings and economic activities within the public maritime-terrestrial domain. Bars, restaurants, and beach bars, which do not comply with the state coastal law, are intended to be included in the register of constructions that the autonomous regulation considers of “cultural interest”. An exceptionally justifiable point, only in cases of irrefutable heritage and ethnographic value, always for public and community use.By favoring concessions and lucrative uses in the public maritime-terrestrial domain, territorial cohesion is weakened and citizen trust in institutions is eroded. Preserving the coastline is not an economic obstacle, but an essential condition for maintaining the productive and social fabric of the Islands. Right now, safeguarding these systems is essential to curb erosion, mitigate the action of storms, and, ultimately, globally help to mitigate the effects of climate change. In a sea as threatened and stressed as the Balearic Sea, strengthening coastal protection and marine reserve figures is a necessary condition to curb biodiversity loss and maintain ecological balance in the long term.On the other hand, the new Balearic coastal law constitutes an evident act of institutional disloyalty, by prioritizing sectoral and private interests over the principles of environmental protection and common use of public space. The purpose of the transfer of powers from the State to the community that took place at the time was to promote homogeneous environmental policies (the community is competent in environmental matters), seek efficiency through proximity to the territory, and boost preservation. The defense of kiosks (and other buildings) located in the public maritime-terrestrial domain not only violates the original constitutional philosophy, on which the law should be based, but also opens the door to a covert privatization of coastal space.Engage in clientelism

All of this, from an institutional perspective, leads one to think that the current Government of the Balearic Islands cannot be trusted. Its behavior is far from exemplary: through a fabricated stratagem known as “local identity”, the Government takes advantage of the transfer of new powers to consolidate illegal activities and engage in clientelism. This perverse drift erodes trust and collaboration between administrations, weakens the sovereign authority of our country, and jeopardizes the legal balance between the general interest and private privileges. In an archipelago particularly vulnerable to climate change and tourist pressure, promoting exceptions that perpetuate coastal occupation is a grave error that compromises our credibility as an adult and modern society.Allow me to explore the poetic path in the face of the stubbornness of the eternally stubborn. I know I will neither soften them nor make them change; however, I believe in lyricism as a drop capable of piercing clay. I am drawn to the beauty of Sylvain Tesson's words in "La vida simple", when he sings of the vital need he feels to change his relationship with nature: “I want to put down roots, to become part of the earth after having been part of the wind”. To stop eroding, to abandon the habit of flying over places, at the rhythm of digital messages without music, and to curse the capital's slot machines, perhaps this will help us to be a little freer and richer. So free as to observe the vote in future elections, from a perspective more respectful of the country's sovereignty, collective well-being, and not with our heads bowed before the market.Possibly, the Government plays with the idyllic image of jetties where boats were kept, forming part of a unique landscape, and attractive piers, which have acquired public use because the former concessionaires have stopped paying. But, this is not the issue, the catalog of impacts is much broader; a lot of concrete and activities not permitted in expired concessions. Not much more can be expected. The Executive has long since aligned itself with radicals who traffic in people's dreams to feed the greed of merchants. They can be fought.

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Posidonia is still losing ground, despite growing awareness of the importance of its conservation, private and public actions in its defense, and specific regulations that have been in place for the past seven years. The data confirm that the rate of its destruction has slowed considerably, but, unfortunately, they also show that "we still cannot speak of surface area recovery in absolute terms," laments Núria Marbà, research professor at Imedea (CSIC-UIB) and a specialist in this plant that is essential to the ecosystem.

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While the legalization of irregular housing on rural land is moving forward thanks to the Simplification Law, the other amnesty promise made by the People's Party (PP) during the election campaign—constructions on the coast—is in a rut. The text of the future coastal law has not yet reached Parliament, despite being a priority for Prohens, and the government had to find a replacement this summer for the former Director General of Coasts, Carlos Simarro, who has entered Congress as a deputy, replacing Sandra Fernández.

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The GOB has presented the Manifesto for a habitable, safe and protected coastline, with the aim of addressing the pressure on the Balearic Islands' coves and beaches during the summer. The document calls for more responsible coastal management and requests the involvement of public authorities in preserving these natural spaces.

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