High school students film a documentary about Portmany Bay

The students are preparing a documentary, as part of the APS Portmany Bay project, with the goal of learning and adding value to society.

Around 20 first-year high school students from the Quartó de Portmany institute went on an excursion in the bay today, March 19, organized by the Club Nàutic Sant Antoni, within the framework of the ‘Aprenentatge i Servei Badia de Portmany’ project. The objective was to take images and learn firsthand about the strengths of this natural space from an environmental perspective, with the intention of gathering audiovisual material and information to create a documentary that contributes value to society.

The outing took place aboard two catamarans and a boat, and they were accompanied by the CNSA's educational and sustainability technician Marta Fernández, who guided them through the most representative enclaves of the bay. The director of the center and new president of Salvem sa Badia, Fran Tienda; the coordinator of this association, Léa Leuzinger; and the teacher Eva Tur, who teaches Physics and Chemistry and Experimental Techniques to the students, also attended. Salvem sa Badia will provide underwater images to the students to complete the production.

Among the strengths of the bay, the students were able to discover the characteristics of the Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA), where species such as the Balearic shearwater (virot); Audouin's gull or the cormorant (corb marí), among others, nest and breed. During the tour, they even managed to spot a large flock of shearwaters flying over the western islets. It is worth remembering that the shearwater is the most endangered bird in Europe. Other aspects related to the environmental strengths of the bay that the students learned about include the presence of cetaceans and the artisanal and sustainable work carried out by the fishing fleet of the Sant Antoni Brotherhood.

As for the weaknesses, they visited the outflow pipe of Caló de s’Oli, which is still broken and discharging at a depth less than required, the storm drains of the Cala de Bou sewage system that pollute the bay when the sanitary system is saturated, and the area of the desalination plant, where brine is constantly being discharged, creating a large underwater desert due to the excess salinity, and where there are also plans to build a boat ramp that will also impact the area.

Within the APS Badia de Portmany project, Es Nàutic provides training to the participants in this activity, thus contributing to the research process developed in the classrooms of the secondary schools and institutes integrated into the project, which is related to the biodiversity, the natural environment, the culture, the history, and the tourism of Portmany Bay and its surroundings. After the research and learning phase, the students develop a community service project, with a divulgative and/or social purpose.