Mud or Clay Baths Erode Cliffs and Cause Landslides

Última actualización: 19/08/2024

bathsMud or clay baths on the beaches of Menorca are bad for the environment.
Taking mud baths has these negative effects:

1. Erosion of cliffs: 1.6 tons of clay are lost each year from the cliffs due to mud baths.
   Clay is a non-renewable resource.
   This means that it is not renewed and is lost after it is used.
2. Causes rockfall: erosion of the base of cliffs facilitates rockfall.
3. No benefit for the skin: there is no scientific study that supports any benefit for the skin after taking mud baths.
4. They can cause infections: if the water in contact with the mud is stagnant, it can cause infections.

Taking Sand, Stones or Fossils from Beaches is Prohibited

Another harmful trend for the environment is to take sand from the beaches.
Every year, hundreds of kilograms of sand, rocks and fossils are confiscated at the airport and tourists try to take them home.
The impact of sand theft is not quantified, but it causes the beaches to recede from the sea every year.
If everyone takes sand from the beaches, we will eventually run out of sand on the beaches.

• Taking sand from beaches is forbidden, and it is bad for the beaches
• Taking stones from beaches is forbidden, and it is bad for the beaches
• Taking fossils is forbidden, and is bad for beaches

Jumping Dune Fences is Bad for Beaches

The wooden fences and ropes that you can see on the beaches serve to protect the dunes of the beaches.

• The dunes prevent the beaches from disappearing over time, preventing the sand from being washed away by the sea.
• It is important NOT to step on the fenced dunes, as they are undergoing regeneration.

If you arrive at a beach and it is crowded you do NOT have to jump the fences to find a spot to plant your towel.

1. This causes the dune to erode and lose sand little by little.
2. In the long term, the result is that every year the beach area decreases, until it disappears.

Getting off Track (Diffuse Pressure) is Bad for the Environment

If you like walking along the Camí de Cavalls it is possible that at some time you have gone out of the way.
Going off the beaten track in search of new places, when you are in areas with a lot of tourism, is bad for the environment.

• Fins el darrer racó – Understanding the harmful effect of diffuse pressure

Taking Crabs is a Crime, Even if They are Dead

Nacras(Pinna Nobilis) are mollusks endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that can reach 120cm in length. You can see them in vertical position on Posidonia bottoms in many areas of Menorca(Fornells, Pregonda). Nacras are threatened by fishing, invasive species and human pressure (boat anchors, poaching, etc.).

• If you see a Nacra, leave it where it is.
• It is a crime to possessit, whether dead or alive(Article 334 of the Penal Code).
• The Guardia Civil seizes Nacras in Menorca.

More information about the Mud Baths

• Mud baths can cause infections
• Fundació de Foment del Turisme de Menorca corrects Hola and El País for inciting to mud baths
• The mud baths remove 1.6 tons of mud from Menorca’s beaches each year.
• The government reiterates the ban on mud baths in s’espalmador (Formentera)
• Law for the Conservation of Environmentally Relevant Areas (LECO)