Mallorca is well-known for its rich environment. The wetlands of Ses Fontanelles, in the Bay of Palma, are home to a very rare endemic plant, the "Limonium barceloi", which is in danger of extinction.
The Balearic Government is taking further steps to safeguard the island's unique nature, and declared the wetlands of Ses Fontanelles as "Critical Biological Area" on Wednesday. This means that no new tracks or roads can be built in the area, and that nobody can walk across. The "Limonium barceloi" was declared critically endangered in 2004, but in the last 10 years its population has dramatically decreased from 3,000 to 300 individuals.
The creation of this protected area will definitely impact on the very controversial construction of a new shopping centre, Palma Springs, which was going to open in autumn 2016. Environmentalist groups have been protesting it since the building works started in 2013, and Palma's council has recently archived their licence.
