Environmental agents stopped last Wednesday some works in front of the Estacio beach after having damaged, according to the Asociación de Naturalistas del Sureste (ANSE), a specimen of a native species in danger of extinction: the Mar Menor Asparagus (‘Asparagus macrorrhizus’). ANSE technicians went to La Manga three days ago after receiving «a warning of sand movement affecting dunes in a good state of conservation». The works were apparently being carried out to «build a sailing school associated with a house on the seafront of the Estacio beach, in San Javier».
On arriving in the area, «the works were already stopped by the environmental agents, as a specimen of Mar Menor asparagus had been damaged». This is a plant «exclusive to the area around the lagoon and is seriously threatened, which is why it has recently been classified as ‘endangered’ by the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species».
This species shares the same level of protection as the Iberian lynx, the imperial eagle and the brown bear, and is one of the main environmental values of the region, reports ANSE.
The work «was carried out in the maritime-terrestrial public domain protection easement, requiring authorisation from the Community». As ANSE has been able to confirm, the authorisation granted was «out of date».
The association has announced that it will demand an investigation and a clarification of responsibilities «at the highest level».