TOURIST PROD UCT HAND BOOK MENORCA BIOSPHERE RESERVE AGÈNCIA RESERVA DE LA BIOSFERA MENORCA Funded by: Biosfera 36 Angles 1 17/2/11, 10:04 Lighthouse of Favàritx A Biosfera 36 Angles 2 17/2/11, 10:04 Biosfera 36 Angles 3 17/2/11, 10:04 Menorca Biosphere Reserve Menorca Biosphere Reserve Environment and landscape 5 Biosfera 36 Angles 4 17/2/11, 10:04 Menorca Biosphere Reserve Menorca Biosphere Reserve ENVIRONMENT AND LANDSCAPE The Biosphere Reserve of Menorca has a special connotation if we compare it to other reserves in Spain. In Menorca this affects an entire community and the whole of the island territory that are declared a Biosphere Reserve. We are convinced that a territory of these characteristics is the best place to implement a sustainable development. It makes more sense than ever with the aim of combining the development of a community as a whole to achieve a similar or better standard of living than other communities by always keeping the environmental conditions that should be Geomorphologic formations maintained and improved as time goes by. We can think about the current landscape as Finally, we found some examples of the the outcome of natural and human actions Quaternary period, with a maximum age and factors and their interrelationships. of one million eighteen hundred thousand The natural factors that modelled the years, resulting in the formation of dunes by landscape started in the Island’s own geology. the action of wind, also called Aeolian dune Menorca can be easily divided into two areas fi elds. with completely different geology; on the There are traces of the Palaeozoic in Sa north area known as tramuntana, there are Mesquida, Favàritx and Binimel·là; of the low materials coming from the Palaeozoic, the Triassic in El Pilar and Addaia, with formations Triassic and the Jurassic; on the other hand, made of a kind of clay called gres; of the the southern area or Migjorn is much more middle Triassic around the area of El Toro and homogeneous and mainly dominated by the Port of Addaia; of the Jurassic in El Toro materials coming from the Miocene period. and Fornells, and of the Miocene around the Almost all these rocks have been formed from whole of the southern area of the Island. sediments (both sea and continental ones) Once we have defi ned the Island’s geology, deposited in very diverse periods of time and we can talk about the different elements that conditions. model the landscapes. They can be divided Menorca’s history started about 400 millions into geographical and anthropic factors. The of years ago, at the end of the Primary modelling of the landscape along with the era, during the Devonian period. After the climate factors as well as the geographical Devonian Age came the materials from the localization determines the fl ora and fauna Carboniferous, when the fi rst folding of land existing on the Island. occurred yielding the elevations present on The main external factors that have modelled the Island. the Menorcan landscape are, on the one hand, 5 From the Secondary era, we can fi nd materials the strong winds that in Menorca coincide belonging to periods such as Triassic, Jurassic with the north wind or tramuntana, and on the and Cretaceous. From the Tertiary era, we other, the precipitation rate and its physical can only fi nd materials from the Miocene, and chemical effects. which occupies the entire southern area of These external factors give shape to the the Island. landscape through different processes such as B Albufera des Grau lagoon Biosfera 36 Angles 5 17/2/11, 10:04 Menorca Biosphere Reserve Menorca Biosphere Reserve Geomorphologic formations mechanical, chemical and biological weathering, Out of more than 1,300 species of superior erosion, transportation and sedimentation. plants existing on the Island, more than 6% Weathering is the fragmentation of rocks are endemic, among which are remarkable caused by different meteorological agents. for their rarity the well-known socarrells, This fact becomes very important in the spiny bushes like small cushions that have southern area of the Island, where, due to adapted to strong winds and salt conditions. chemical dilution, caves of karstic origin will These salty conditions of the environment be formed as well as the deep ravines of the will also condition peculiar shapes that make southern area. The effect that living beings bushes develop in the opposite direction of have on the land, such as the roots effect, will the predominant wind direction, which is the also contribute to weathering. transporting agent of the salty aerosol. Another very signifi cant factor in Menorca is There are two climate fl ora communities on erosion, basically caused by the predominant the Island: the oak and wild olive woods. Oak wind. The wind effect will determine different woods are predominant in well-developed plant formations and their adaptations. and deep soils with favourable environmental As for geomorphology, the determining factors conditions, whilst wild olive woods appear in to the formation of new materials are the poorer soils subject to other less favourable weathered material transportation and their environmental conditions. Each of these sedimentation. These factors will give rise to communities has a series of shrub and herb the beach formations and the dune systems species closely related to them. related to them. Almost all we have said about fl ora could be All these elements along with the geographical repeated for fauna. At this point we also will location of Menorca and its climate and fi nd a series of its own or endemic species, 6 isolation features will determine the Island’s mostly represented in the invertebrates 7 fauna and fl ora. These characteristics help group. With regard to vertebrates, the most the appearance of many endemic or exclusive remarkable species is the Balearic wall lizard species of the Mediterranean area or even (Podarcis lilfordi). exclusive to this Island. The populations of If we focus on the general natural systems these species usually are few because of their on the Island, we could consider that in a limited distribution. small territory such as this, about 700 square Biosfera 36 Angles 6 17/2/11, 10:04 Menorca Biosphere Reserve Menorca Biosphere Reserve kilometres, there exists much environmental European Community that is in the process diversity. of being declared community interest areas in the Nature Network 2000. Temporary ponds The most outstanding ecosystems that can be contain unique species related to drought and found are: fl ooding periods. In Menorca we can also fi nd coast wetlands Ravines in the southern area (Migjorn) related to fresh water streams and to dune They have been formed throughout many years; systems. For instance, the lagoon of the they are associated to fresh water currents, to Albufera des Grau, which along with all its tectonic movements and to sea level changes. surroundings was declared a Natural Park and Most of them have temporary water streams considered the core of the Biosphere Reserve related to intense rainfall periods, although area. other ravines have permanent waters, such Other important wetlands are the Prat de Son as the ravines of Algendar or Trebalúger. Bou and the Prat de Lluriach. Furthermore, The course usually is winding where a great other systems of lesser importance are La Vall, diversity of fl ora and fauna species can be Son Saura, Es Banyul, etc. found. We must bear in mind that ravines can have about 220 fl ora species related to them, Dune systems of which 26 are endemic. These ravines are Menorca has eight well-constituted dune extremely important when we talk about the systems, seven of which are found on the nesting of birds of prey and water birds. north coast and only one on the south coast. About 40 ravines can be found, 12 of which are The southern one is related to the wetlands of more than 3 kilometres long. El Prat de Son Bou. It is a typical dune system, The north area ravines are of less signifi cance that is to say, it runs parallel to the coastline. and their water courses are temporary and However, the other seven ones, Es Grau, Son related to rains. Saura, Cala Tirant, Cavalleria, Cala Pregonda, Cala Pilar and La Vall, are exceptional since Wetlands they run perpendicular to the coastline, but This system include temporary ponds, a kind parallel to the main wind direction. of ecosystem considered a priority by the Apart from the abovementioned systems, 6 7 Ravine Temporary pond Biosfera 36 Angles 7 17/2/11, 10:04 Menorca Biosphere Reserve Menorca Biosphere Reserve Coastal cliff areas This coastal area is a very important element from the botanical point of view, since it shelters most part of endemic species related to hard climate conditions. Among such rare endemic plants we can fi nd the socarrells, spiny shrubs of low height and cushion-like specially adapted to harsh conditions of high salt levels and periods of strong wind. There exist alternative solutions to adapt to these periods, such as the reduction of size, growing into other more resistant species, etcetera. Islets The island of Menorca has about 35 islets of Dune system different sizes surrounding it ranging from the 550.000 sqm of the Illa d’en Colom up to we can fi nd other ones of less importance the 3,150 sqm of the Illa des Ravells. These scattered around the coast: we can fi nd dune islets are very important because they have systems in Arenal d’en Castell, Binimel·là, remained virtually unspoiled by the human Mongofra, Macarella and Macarelleta.