14 - 20 December 2017
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Seed bombs rain down MALAGA Provincial Council is hoping that a novel technique will help reforest Axarquia. It comes as a Guardia Civil helicopter was used to shower the Competa countryside with ‘seed bombs’ containing more than half a million seeds of 30 plant species. The mostly inaccessible target area - which includes the Perez gorge - was razed by a wildfire in 2014, and it is hoped that around 80 per cent of the seeds will germinate. The method, developed in Japan, involves impregnating clay discs with the seeds before they are dropped.
Beach bummer NERJA is to become the third Axarquia town to ban beachgoers from reserving spots on its sandy strips. Set to be passed shortly, the new law will see spot fines of €30 issued to those who leave towels, parasols, or chairs on the beach, often hours before they intend to use them. Such items will be seized and not returned to their owners until the penalty is paid. The new rule is included on a list of 35 law changes planned for the town’s beaches next year.
Final call for thieves TWO men have been held in connection with a spate of holidaymaker thefts at Malaga Airport. The arrests come after police received a number of reports from disgruntled tourists who were robbed after landing or while waiting to check in. A brief probe revealed the culprits to be a 58-year-old from the Czech Republic and a 39-year-old from Kosovo.
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ISSUE NO. 1693
THREATENED: The dune in El Morche is reportedly in danger of disappearing and (inset) Rafael Yus.
Heads in the sand By Kat Ashton A Spanish environmental group has raised the alarm a b o u t a s a n d d u n e in El Morche that is under threat of disappearing for good. Rafael Yus, from the organisation Ecologists in Actio n , h as rep o rte d th at a d u n e in th e L a C arra c a neighbourhood is in serious danger of being destroyed if p lan s to d ev elo p the seafront path go ahead. H o u s in g d e v elo p me nt along the Torrox coastline has diminished most of the region’s dunes, with the one in La Carraca - which
stretches on for 500 metres - reportedly the last natural dune still intact in Axarquia Province. Yus expressed specific c onc e rn a bout he a vy ma chinery, which is used to remove the re e ds , c a us ing shifts in the earth. “Reeds may be an invasive plant species but they help to prevent the dunes from retreating inland,” she said. She also revealed that the reeds form “a habitat for local bird species and are vital for maintaining the dune’s height.” Malaga regional authori-
tie s ha d a nnounc e d the ir plans to invest €1 million in developing the seafront path in Torrox, which will be lengthened by 900 metre s to c onne c t the El Morche walkway with the main one in the town. A 30metre footbridge will also be built over the Gui River.
The authorities confirmed that measures would be taken to protect the dune during the development, including using eco-friendly materials to build that section of the path and protecting the area from pedestrians with a roped fence.
Station funding appeal POLITICIANS in Nerja have asked Malaga to help open its new fire station. Antonio Yuste and Antonio Garcia, provincial deputies for the PSOE party, have asked the Partido Popular-led team in the Provincial Council to increase funds to the beleaguered station. The move would provide further equipment and allow the station to open after its scheduled opening was delayed for a year and a half. In October it was revealed the building is now expected to open in 2018. While the project is almost complete, progress halted after an argument brewed between Nerja Council and the Provincial Council. The town’s councillor for Civil Protection and Firemen, Oscar Jimenez, said the delay was caused by a bill for modifications to the building’s design, saying Nerja Council and the Provincial Council were at loggerheads over who should pick up the additional €90,000 bill.