Posidonia issue grows
Regional govenment told it must act to save sea grass
CONCERN for the plight of the threatened meadows of Posidonia sea grass along the Mediterranean coast is growing in the regional government.
Seen as vital to this fragile ecosystem, the Valencia parliament is being asked to bring in regulations to help protect the underwater ‘resource’.
The sea grass and its plight have long been championed by Jávea mayor Jose Chulvi - who is also a regional deputy in Les Corts - and he is calling for government action.
Backed by PSOE colleagues, he is petitioning for new regulations and funding to protect posidonia along the coast.
Jávea town hall actively attempts to protect the sea grass with eco-friendly buoys for pleasure craft to moor along its coast, and has also invested in awareness campaigns and mounts marine patrols.
However, Valencia is being asked to recruit the region’s fishing and tourist industries to help make a lasting impact and ‘put the accent on the value of conservation, knowledge, and the defence of the Mediterranean’s natural resources’.
The petition underlines the increasing pressure on the marine environment and the ‘pressures’ of nautical recreation on a scarce resource; calling for regulatory support for the sea and the funding to intervene and, if necessary, sanction abusers.
The value of tourism to the local economy is noted but it is argued that unless the landscape - above and below the waves - is protected, it will fail. “We are as strong and as weak as a posidonia leaf,” said Sr Chulvi.