“Buoys are in danger this summer. The Department of Environment and Sustainability of the Generalitat of Catalonia has warned that in areas of phanerogam meadows only low-impact buoys should be used. This complicates the installation this season in Palafrugell, because the operators would not have time to adapt to the new regulations. For this reason, the City Council is negotiating “in extremis” to find an intermediate solution. If the government cannot be convinced, the situation “could become very complicated”, assures the councilor for Public Roads.
At the moment, concrete blocks are used to anchor the buoys, but the Generalitat does not look favourably on this. In an initial negotiation, it was achieved that instead of being obliged to change all the anchoring systems, they could start with only 20 or 30%, according to the mayor Jaume Palahí. However, this Tuesday during the Municipal Plenary Session, three months after the installation, the companies have already warned that this is not possible either.
For this reason, they are now trying to convince the Generalitat to allow them to keep all the concrete blocks except in one specific area, such as Calella de Palafrugell. There, only low-impact buoys would be placed, to demonstrate to the Generalitat Palafrugell’s desire to progressively move towards a more sustainable use.
Palahí assures, however, that if they do not manage to convince the regional government, “things could become very complicated.”
In any case, Palahí has already warned that in three years operators will have to install all low-impact buoys in posidonia meadow areas.
On the other hand, the mayor explains that the Maritime Authority and the Ministry determine the spaces where the buoys can be installed. However, he points out that the biodiversity of each space is not taken into account. In addition, the operators of the maritime buoys have increased the area they occupy, but not the number of attachments.