Everyone needs between ten and fifteen square metres. | Miquel Àngel Llabrés

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The government is to adopt more measures to tackle so-called saturation. This time, the environment ministry has the Mondragó Nature Park in its sights, and beaches in particular. It wants to limit the number of beachgoers, basing this limit on the need for each person to have between ten and fifteen square metres.

The directorate for natural spaces and biodiversity reels off four types of protected status as they apply to the nature park in Santanyi. These include, for example, it being an area of special natural interest. The park covers 700 hectares, with 90% of it being privately owned.

A draft to revise the plan for the park's management has been sent to various interested parties, such as the town hall, and has caused a certain amount of concern. Limiting the number of beachgoers is just one aspect of the revision. It also envisages an end to sunlounger and parasol services (those contracted out by the town hall) and the demolition of two chiringuitos. This would be in line with what has happened at Es Trenc. Future beach bars would have to be demountable (taken away at the end of the season) and be no larger than twenty square metres.

Then there are plans for car parking. There won't be more parking spaces than at present, despite the town hall having asked for them in order to stop illegal parking in the area. The request for a bus shuttle for Font de n'Alis has been ruled out, while the ministry intends banning excursion boats and sports trials (such as running or cycling). Moreover, the ministry will want beaches to be cleaned by a "traditional" system, suggesting that a tractor may not be allowed, and it is considering removing rubbish containers.