IBIZA, 12 (EUROPA PRESS)
Ibiza & Formentera Preservation has asked European institutions to implement a series of measures to protect the Pitiusa lizard – 'Podarcis pityusensis' – from invasive snakes, such as considering a possible "permanent ban" on bringing ornamental trees from the peninsula to the islands.
The foundation has been participating in the 'Protegim Ses Sargantanes' project since 2023, which aims to control snakes on agricultural farms and in natural areas, and has presented several initiatives to the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions (PETI) and the Committee on the Environment (ENVI), the environmental organization explained in a statement.
One of the main demands is for the Government to update the study on the distribution and population densities of the lizard in the Pitiüses. The most recent baseline studies were conducted in 2017 and 2022, so they have proposed reviving the 2022 methodology to obtain comparable data over time, to complement the surveys currently being carried out by the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) and other organizations.
"Four years have passed since the last census, and in the meantime, the snake population has expanded. We need to know where the lizards are and if the measures being taken are really effective; otherwise, we are working in the dark," said the foundation's director, Inma Saranova.
The application submitted to the General Directorate of Environment and Forest Management proposes including populations from the main islands and islets, especially those that are isolated, genetically distinct, or under greater pressure from snakes.
The foundation has requested that the results of its initiatives be integrated with data on snake distribution and capture, trapping efforts, safe havens, ex situ breeding, and possible population reinforcement or reintroduction measures. It has also asked the Balearic Government for a specific Conservation Plan for 'Podarcis pityusensis', separate from the 'Boscà Plan', the regional recovery and conservation plan that covers several amphibian and reptile species.
The petition submitted to the Committee on Petitions asks the European Parliament to request information from the European Commission, the Spanish Government, and the Balearic authorities, and to examine compliance with European obligations regarding conservation, monitoring, and the prevention of irreversible damage.
It also requests that the petition remain open while the authorities' responses are analyzed, and that the European Commission evaluate the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the European Regulation on invasive alien species. Before the Environment Committee, the foundation asks that it be examined whether the measures taken are adequate and that the species to be monitored be effectively protected.
The Pitiüses lizard is listed in Annex II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive; appears on the list of wild species subject to special protection, is cataloged as "vulnerable" in the Threatened Species Catalog of the Balearic Islands, and is classified as "endangered" on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"The disappearance of the Pitiüsian slider is a European and global problem. It is a species protected by EU law," Saranova emphasized.
The foundation has also collaborated with the office of European Parliament Member Jaume Asens on three parliamentary questions to the European Commission. The first, to which a response has already been received, asked what measures the Commission would take to ensure the effective protection of the species.
In response, the Commission acknowledged the "concern" regarding the species' conservation status and noted that conservation strategies and measures to combat invasive species are primarily the responsibility of national and regional authorities.
For Ibiza & Formentera Preservation, the response puts the issue on the European agenda and reinforces the responsibility of the Government of Ibiza and the Spanish Government.
INCREASE IN SNAKE CAPTURES
The parliamentary petition also calls for permanent measures to close the main entry point for new snakes, identified as the transport from the mainland of large ornamental trees intended for landscaping, such as centuries-old olive trees.
The foundation proposes that the seasonal restrictions and quarantines be subject to an independent scientific evaluation, along with the aforementioned ban. It has also asked European institutions to assess the compatibility of this measure with the single market in accordance with Article 36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
In this regard, they have argued that the response from the Generalitat government to the foundation's previous inquiries confirms that regulatory measures and inspections are underway, but "it does not demonstrate the existence of a sufficiently comprehensive, traceable, and evaluated system to prevent the entry of invasive snakes associated with the ornamental tree trade." "The existence of a regulation does not guarantee that it will be effectively enforced," Saranova insisted.
Ibiza & Formentera Preservation has also called for an increase in the trapping of snakes already established on the islands. An internal report prepared at the foundation's request warns that current trapping efforts are "insufficient" to significantly reduce their population.
Therefore, it calls for an extraordinary trapping plan with "sufficient" funding, "verifiable" annual goals, "independent" scientific monitoring, and prioritizing coastal areas near islets with unique populations. It has also called for protocols for preventive surveillance, early detection, and rapid response to prevent the snakes from reaching other islets by swimming and to act immediately if they do.
The foundation congratulates the LIFE Reptiles project, which will mobilize 2.18 million euros in the Balearic Islands over six years, and the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) project, to which 1.94 million euros have been allocated to control invasive snakes in the Pitiüses.
However, they have requested to be informed of what proportion of the LIFE Reptiles project funding will be specifically allocated to the 'Podarcis pityusensis', what actions it will fund, whether it will include regular censuses, and how it will be coordinated with the ITS project and a specific conservation plan.
Finally, Ibiza & Formentera Preservation has requested a permanent coordinating body involving the Regional Government, the Island Councils of Ibiza and Formentera, the local municipalities, the Wildlife Protection Service, the Consortium for the Recovery of Balearic Wildlife (Cofib), the scientific community, and environmental organizations to coordinate monitoring, evaluate the effectiveness of the measures, and integrate European and regional projects into a common strategy.