The last dream of the Menorcan Rodríguez de la Fuente

CitadelAs a child, Antoni Escandell wanted to be Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente and work with him. A dream that the tragic plane crash suffered by the Burgos-born broadcaster in Alaska in 1980 thwarted, but which only served as the impetus that confirmed the true vocation of the Menorcan naturalist and filmmaker. "My parents and family have always said that by the age of three I already had a keen interest in wildlife, birds, and biodiversity," explains Escandell, who at 63 is still motivated to promote audiovisual and educational projects about nature. The latest, launched at the turn of the year, is called faunix.tv, a free platform where he shares much of his knowledge and material recorded over decades. From the 65 episodes of the wild Balearic Islands from IB3 in the documentaries broadcast by TV3, the Castaways of Evolution about the endemic lizard of Aire Island, doubly awarded in the United States and the Life in cold bloodFilmed in collaboration with Richard Attenborough for the BBC, among others.

It all started when, at 35, he received a home video camera as a gift "and I started practicing." Then came a Canon, with which he began filming the flora and fauna of Menorca. So he learned to edit, to do voice-over work, and, having done it all, he founded his own production company. His first project, he recalls, was a documentary about the natural history of Menorca, sponsored by the Island Council and the Menorcan Institute of Studies (IME). But the subsequent move to regional television was difficult, especially to IB3, until Jaume Garau convinced the management of the public broadcaster of the need to include a nature program. The embryo of what is now Faunix.

Natural Heritage of the Islands

"It's been in my head for almost ten years," he explains. Since 2009, when his production company, Paleârtica Films, secured a contract with IB3 for the first episodes, he hasn't stopped developing content about the islands' natural heritage. "But there's always a gap between delivering one series and getting the next one guaranteed. So I thought about launching a dedicated channel. Back then, the technology didn't allow it, but now it does, and I wanted to push it forward," he adds. Right now: "I'm about to retire, and I want to keep my family out of this project. But I have no doubt about doing it because I understand it's a necessity for the community," says Escandell, who plans to approach the government for support. In any case, he's clear about one thing: "I've been captivated by this world for 60 years, and one way or another, I'll make it happen."

Escandell's idea is "to make use of all the vast amount of material recorded over more than 20 years and, at the same time, help to spread awareness of the natural heritage among young people and older generations, who have seen what Menorca was like 50 years ago." The first 15-minute episodes are presented by Escandell himself and are part of a birdwatching course that showcases his ornithological background. The content is currently in Catalan, although Escandell intends to offer it in Spanish and English soon. "We will also start conducting interviews," he notes, "with the aim of making the scientific language of technicians and experts more accessible to the general public."

The distinctly educational nature of the videos is intended to attract the attention of schools. "The teachers who have contacted me see it as an excellent idea to introduce their students to the natural values ​​that are essential for life," he says. "The images are the property of Paleârtica, but they truly belong to all of society. I want to bring them to light so that everyone feels a sense of ownership. Natural heritage belongs to everyone, and we owe it to them."

He understands that the format is much more suitable for today's consumption habits, dominated by the immediacy of social media. "You can make a 52-minute documentary, like the ones produced with Paleârtica, but now each viewer will only watch an average of seven minutes," he maintains. That's why he believes in the effectiveness of Faunix, "not as an entertainment channel, but as a public service, aimed primarily at the younger generations."

"We couldn't live without nature," Escandell explains to the students, raising their awareness in his talks about the need to conserve resources: "Since they seem inexhaustible, we continue to abuse them, and thus we lose values, spaces, wildlife, and species." When he visits schools and speaks to students, he asks them: "If the rest of the Balearic Islands were filled with concrete and asphalt, with cement, but also with money, where would I live? Not enough, because there's no life."

He also uses another example. "If each town were a bucket of water, no matter how much we extended the pipes or increased the pressure, there wouldn't be enough room. And that's what happens with the Islands. We live with biogeographical limitations, which constrain us and make any regeneration more difficult. If Menorca were to burn, all its species and burned land would be lost." So, "we need to stop and foster a fair balance between vehicles, tourism, nature, and the economy." From now on, he won't just be saying this in the classroom. Students will also be able to see and hear it at Faunix.