Beach clean-up continues despite Covid-19

The Department of Environment and Climate Change is continuing its work throughout the pandemic and has been monitoring local beaches with seaweed build up.

Significant amounts of seaweed recently washed up on Western Beach and Sandy Bay, as a result of the recent easterly swell, and have been removed by Britannia Cleaning Services.

At the same time Western Beach, Eastern Beach, Catalan Bay and Sandy Bay have all been cleaned.

“Despite the beaches not being officially open, the Department will not allow accumulations of seaweed, rubbish or other flotsam, in the interests of walkers and wildlife,” the Gibraltar Government said in a statement.

“Also at present a number of planted areas around the city are being tidied and planted up. Areas of foreign invasive plant species are being cleared to encourage the grown of local native vegetation.”

In collaboration with the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS), the Barbary partridge programme continues, with eight captive pairs having laid about 40 eggs so far, and still laying.

When the chicks hatch, they will be cared for by the GONHS unit and released when fully grown to add to the Upper Rock Barbary partridge population.

The government added the Barbary partridge population is now “flourishing” thanks to these joint conservation effects by the Department and GONHS.