In Formentera in autumn, to experience it sustainable and super green

Protected beaches, wooden walkways and, for company, emerald-colored lizards

Kilometers of coastline, bordered by scrub, rock plants, and by the savina, the typical shrub folded in on itself. The beaches of Formentera are varied in size (from 5 kilometers of Mijiorn to 140 meters of Cala Sahona) of various landscapes and various colors. But they all protect the sand dunes with the very long wooden walkways that cross them and which allow to avoid the trampling of these dune systems, called Regeneration Areas of the Dunes, interrupted only by the passages to the sea. Because what we try to avoid is trampling, the main cause of erosion and degradation of these precious natural systems. Instead, the signs scattered along the route tell us about the flora and fauna: birds, reptiles and small rodents, hoopoes, hedgehogs and cormorants. But above all the famous emerald lizard which dominates, undisputed, the whole island. With its bright colors between blue and deep green, and its snappy speed, it will accompany you throughout your stay on the island. Impossible not to meet her.

Few cars, quota in the summer

In October, and in the following months, the limitations that during the summer impose the regulation of vehicles in transit decrease: from June to September, in fact, the number of motor vehicles that can access the island, circulate and park on the road public is set at 11,454. Thanks to Formentera Eco it is possible to book your car presence before arriving on the island without breaking that limit imposed to safeguard tranquility and cleanliness of the air.

The projects that are changing the face of the island

Plastic Free Formentera volunteers periodically call together, thanks to Instagram and Facebook, to organize new initiatives. We meet on the rocks or on the beaches to collect plastics, glass, cigarette butts and bulky ones on the coast. The last appointment on 26 September, on the occasion of the Posidonia Forum, took us among the rocks of Cala En Baster. But any opportunity is good to turn everyone into Guardian Plastic Free of the Balearics. Thanks to the site Plastic Free Baleari you can find out how to report the virtuous activities that reward clubs, bars, restaurants and hotels in which ecological and sustainable practices are adopted. For example, give up single-use plastic straws throughout the Balearic area. By replacing them with those of materials such as paper, straw, pulp, edible.

Projects financed by the European Community are on the way

But Formentera does not stop at what has been done so far. It aims to continue to encourage good practices to transform itself into a sustainable tourism outpost. He explains it well Alejandra Ferrer, President of the Consell Insular de Formentera who speaks of real urgencies for the island: “We must work on regulating the anchorages to avoid the pressure of the boats that exist both in the Natural Park and throughout the island, regulate and reduce connections seafarers of the line between Ibiza and Formentera and determine the carrying capacity of Formentera, not only of the land part, but also of the seafarer ». In the meantime, however, together with local institutions, it has asked the European Community for funding for four million euros to support projects ranging from the green transition to sustainability, from improving energy efficiency to the digital transition.

Contact with nature and disciplines of the spirit

Meanwhile, the island is increasingly becoming the perfect refuge for meditation, holistic disciplines and yoga. The Formentera Zen, annual appointment for fans, is now a certainty. This year, again on the occasion of the Posidonia Forum, over 150 faithful gathered for a practice at sunset on one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Cala Sahona. Silvia Cescutti, the Italian who in 32 years of Formentera has become an institution for the island, told us that she stopped here “thanks to this crazy color of the sea, thanks to the posidonia that keeps it so and thanks to the inhabitants who are like a family “. But wanting to give something back to this island where “colors, nature and calm naturally lead to a high level of contact with one’s spirit”, he decided to open a very special center: the Dalai Temple, a corner in the middle of nature to offer available to all those interested not only in yoga but in therapeutic music artists, kirtan singers, psychology of love and passion, healers and shamans and long nights of magical sounds, the Puja gong, during the full moon. But obviously ad zero impact are the breathtaking sunsets a Head of Barbary the rocky promontory dominated by a perfectly functioning lighthouse that continues to attract for the undeniable energy it emanates with its view overlooking the sea, the extreme western edge of the Balearic Islands. Perhaps precisely because to get to the lighthouse you have to face, strictly on foot or by bicycle, 2 and a half kilometers that cross a still wild nature and prepare you for contact with the earth, renew the spirit and encourage contemplation.