The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment of the Balearic Government has launched a video of 2 minutes and 15 seconds to warn about the threat posed by snakes to the pitiusa lizard, an endemic species of Ibiza and Formentera in danger of extinction due to the presence of these invasive reptiles.
The regional executive explained Tuesday that the initiative seeks to raise awareness among both the local population and tourists about the delicate situation of the lizard of Ibiza and Formentera, as the snakes have managed to reach even islets where they inhabit unique populations of great ecological value. The video is part of the Invasive Species Control and Eradication Project, a strategy financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (PRTR-MRR) with European funds Next Generation EU. Through the Consortium for the Recovery of the Fauna of the Balearic Islands (COFIB), under the General Directorate of Natural Environment and Forest Management, citizens are urged to report the presence of snakes in the application Green Line COFIB – Invasive Species (www.lineaverdecofib.es).
Control of invasive species on islets
In addition to the threat of snakes, the Govern has announced that this year a project will be tendered for the deratization of the islets of Tagomago, Es Vedrà and Es Vedranell, in Ibiza, and in s’Espalmador, in Formentera. This initiative seeks to improve the survival of seabird species that nest in the area, such as the Balearic shearwater, an endemic species. Likewise, on the islet of s’Espardell, in Formentera, an intervention will be carried out to eradicate invasive flora, where 1.5 hectares of noon flower, 500 prickly pears, several dozens of pitas and about 70 square meters of lion’s claw have been detected. The Balearic Government thus reinforces its biodiversity conservation actions in the archipelago, in an effort to preserve the ecological balance of Ibiza and Formentera against the invasion of non-native species.