Agenda21: On construction, population decline, fisheries and protection of Portitxol
Chris Jones
See: http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/12/14/inenglish/1481733657_962274.html
Population of Valencian community falls
Dec 14th
The National Statistics Institute report reveals that during 2015 there were more deaths than births in the Valencian community, reflecting a general trend in Spain. The birth rate in the region is at its lowest since 1975 at 8 births per 1000 people, as compared with 20 births in 1976. Couples have fewer children than before, and later. The current demographic trend of a loss of 340 inhabitatnts per month is attributed to "the sharp decline in immigration flows and increased emigration." and the declining birth rate since 2011. "Both factors lead to greater aging of the population in Spain. By having an aging demographic structure, deaths increase as life expectancy continues to grow and infant mortality decreases . " However, life expectancy in the Region, which stands at 82.2 years in 2015 experienced a slight decline. And was lower for the first time after ten years of increase.
From: Las Provincias
During 2015 49,500 people emigrated abroad in the Region and reached 43,600. Again a balance of 6,000 people least migration flows.
Number of building licences now exceeds last year's
Dec 14th
The pace of construction continues to rise in Xàbia. A few days after the end of November, the council had already granted 93 permits, compared to 92 in all of 2015 and 88 in 2014. There are another 121 building licenses in the pipeline. During 2006, before the building bubble burst, 184 licenses were granted, to reach its lowest in 2011 with only 50. from La Marina Plaza.
Spain: Saving of 515 million litres of water in tomato cultivation.
Dec 6th
Since 2014, the "Solís Responsable" ("Responsible Solis") initiative has allowed Nestlé to save 515 million litres of water in the integrated production of all tomatoes used as raw material at its plant in Miajadas (Caceres), equivalent to the monthly consumption of a population of 118,000 people. The use of irrigation water has been reduced by 9% by setting up sensors that keep track of soil moisture and the harvest stage. Furthermore, the field is fertilised depending on the needs of the tomatoes and the soil is allowed to rest in a cyclical way with crop rotation. This technique has made it possible to reduce the use of fertilisers by 16%. Since 2014, "Solís Responsable" has also entailed a 13% reduction in the use of pest control products. For full story in English see: Fresh Plaza
Carrefour Spain holds its first Sustainable Fishery Forum
Dec 5th
On December 1st, Carrefour Spain held its first Sustainable Fishery Forum with the aim of boosting measures to preserve the biodiversity and sustainability of fishery products. The event took place in the auditorium of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, Food and Environment. Because of its diversity and quantity, the fisheries sector constitutes a major challenge in terms of sustainability, and Carrefour therefore works on requirements such as traceability, selection of fishing grounds, respect for minimum sizes and promotion of local fisheries. In 2007 Carrefour signed a collaboration agreement with FROM, and since 2008 it has carried out audits both on the reception platform and its suppliers. Agreements for the protection of traditional fishing such as bream and sea bass, and participation in the “Pesca de ría” programme of the Xunta de Galicia, underpin the company’s commitment. For full story see: EPR Retail news
Portitxol island declared a "BIC" - site of Cultural Interest
Nov 25th
After 36 years, Xàbia's Island of Portitxol has been formally declared a site of cultural interest. This means it is afforded protection against development, and can now attract funds and resources to help its conservation and archaeological excavation. The Island has been inhabited since prehistoric times was used as an anchorage from 7th Century BC. Visigothic Monks hid there, and it was inhabited during Islamic times. During the Napoleonic war, a family, whose descendents are know as "la Isla" (the Island) hid there. Despite damage from agriculture in the 19th century, many interesting artefacts have been found there, including an exception piece of Phoenecian bronze. In the same exercise, the " Banys de la Reina" - Queen's baths of Calpe, have also been declared a BIC and traditional dry stone walling has been declared an item of intangible local traditional relevance. From La Marina Plaza
From tourist resort to a friendly town
The 12 lines of action Jávea must take to achieve this before 2022
Nov 23rd
On Monday (Nov 21st) the PSPV local government of Xàbia unveiled proposals to make it one of the municipalities chosen to obtain funding from the Feder Funds of the European Union through the Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategy (Edusi). The project would allow Xàbia to change its current social and urban image from top to bottom through a series of actions between 2017 and 2022 (these are to be approved at the next Town Council plenary session) . The total cost would be 10 million euros: Five from Brussels and five from Xàbia's budgets. The proposals which are encompassed in the project called "Fent Xàbia", were developed after an extensive, transverse, citizen participation process which included not only all departments of the town hall, but also opposition groups, groups of various nationalities that comprise the registered residents of Javea as well as social, cultural and sports organizations and individual citizens.
These consultations have led to a general conclusion: this municipality aspires (after decades of urban development) to "take a look back" to recover its lost identity, in other words "the hidden paradise " («el paraíso escondido») The goal ? "to go from being a tourist resort to being a friendly town" because people will only want to visit if the town's residents enjoy quality of life . And not vice versa. From: La Marina Plaza For details of the project and twelve lines of action see: From Tourist Resort to a Friendly Town - the EDUSI project
Granadella recuperation to start with grant from Valencia
Nov 20th
The Valencia Government is collaborating with Xàbia Town Hall on silvicultural work to recuperate the Granadella Natural Park. To start with they'll be paying €19.200 Euros to finance a contract awarded to "Foresma" to remove trees in danger of falling on roads and those on poorly consolidated slopes. They will also prune branches, macerate the trimmings and remove incinerated trees. On Thursday November 24 the first roundtable to determine the medium term actions in this area will be held at the Town Hall. Working groups will be formed. In addition to the Town Hall and the Generalitat Valenciana, various local associations with interests in the mountains such as hikers, farmers, hunters, friends of the museum, etc. will be represented. From La Marina Plaza
Spain faces fines for not complying with judgment from 2011 over poor waste water collection and treatment
Nov 18th
The European Commission is taking Spain back to the Court of Justice of the EU for its failure to fully and completely comply with the Court judgement of 2011. Spanish regional authorities must ensure that urban waste water is adequately collected and treated in 17 agglomerations across the country to prevent serious risks to human health and the environment. Under this Directive, towns and cities with a population equivalent of more than 15 000 inhabitants which discharge the urban waste water into receiving waters not considered to be "sensitive areas" were required to have systems for collecting and treating their waste water in place as of 1 January 2001. It follows that Member States must ensure that urban waste waters are adequately collected and treated before they are discharged into the environment. 17 agglomerations are concerned: Matalascañas, Alhaurín el Grande, Isla Cristina, Tarifa, Coín, Estepona-San Pedro de Alcántara and, respectively, Nerja and Barbate (Andalucía), Gijón Este (Asturias), Santiago de Compostela, Aguiño-Carreira-Ribeira and, respectively, Vigo (Galicia), Benicarló, Peñíscola and, respectively, Teulada-Moraira (Comunidad Valenciana), Noreste (Valle Guerra) and Valle de Güímar (Tenerife, Islas Canarias). For full report see: EU Commission press release.
Wipes, Tampons and scouring pads decorate the Montañar
Nov 18th
The recent storms have littered the Montañar beach with diverse personal hygiene items including thousands of paper towels and wipes. A few weeks ago, authorities had to struggle with a plug of 350 kilos of wipes which caused a blowout in San Javier (Murcia). Companies, including Amjasa have signed a statement about the management and use of such materials:for details see: Amjasa - wipes campaign From: XAD (Ed's note: this issue has hit the headlines in countries all over the world recently.)
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Cullen Hightower