Balearic holiday island wants European Union snake control help

Ibiza & Formentera Preservation has called on European institutions to implement a series of measures to protect the Pitiusan lizard — ‘Podarcis pityusensis’ — from invasive snakes, such as considering a possible ‘permanent ban’ on bringing ornamental trees from the mainland to the islands.
The foundation has been involved in the ‘Protegim Ses Sargantanes’ project since 2023, which aims to control snakes on agricultural estates and in natural areas, and has presented various initiatives to the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI) and Committee on the Environment (ENVI), as explained by the environmental organisation in a statement.
One of the main demands is that the regional government update the census on the distribution and population densities of the lizard in the Pitiusas. The most recent baseline studies were carried out in 2017 and 2022, so they have proposed reviving the 2022 methodology to obtain data that can be compared over time, to complement the surveys currently carried out by the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (Creaf) and other organisations.
“Four years have passed since the last census and, in the meantime, snakes have spread. We need to know where the lizards are and whether the measures being taken are actually effective; otherwise, we are working in the dark,” said the foundation’s director, Inma Saranova.
The request submitted to the Directorate-General for the Natural Environment and Forest Management proposes including populations on the main islands and islets, particularly those that are isolated, genetically distinct or subject to greater pressure from snakes.
The foundation has called for the results of its initiatives to be integrated with data on the distribution and capture of snakes, trapping efforts, safe refuges, ‘ex situ’ breeding, and potential population reinforcement or reintroduction measures. It has also asked the Balearic Government for a specific Conservation Plan for ‘Podarcis pityusensis’, separate from the ‘Plan Boscà’, the regional recovery and conservation plan covering several species of amphibians and reptiles.
The petition submitted to the Committee on Petitions calls on the European Parliament to seek information from the European Commission, the Spanish Government and the Balearic authorities, and to examine compliance with European obligations regarding conservation, monitoring and the prevention of irreversible damage.
It also calls for the petition to remain open whilst the responses from the authorities are analysed, and for the European Commission to assess the implementation of the Habitats Directive and the European Regulation on invasive alien species. Before the Environment Committee, the foundation calls for an examination of whether the measures adopted are adequate and for the effective protection of the species to be monitored.
The Pitiusan lizard is listed in Annexes II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive, forms part of the List of Wild Species Under Special Protection, is classified as ‘vulnerable’ in the Balearic Catalogue of Threatened Species, and is listed as ‘endangered’ on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“The disappearance of the Pitiusan lizard is a European and global problem. It is a species protected under EU law,” emphasised Saranova.
The foundation has also collaborated with the office of MEP Jaume Asens on three parliamentary questions to the European Commission. The first, to which a reply has already been received, asked what measures the Commission would take to ensure the effective protection of the species.
In response, the Commission acknowledged the “concern” regarding the species’ conservation status and noted that conservation strategies and measures to tackle invasive species are primarily the responsibility of national and regional authorities.
For Ibiza & Formentera Preservation, the response places the issue on the European agenda and reinforces the responsibility of the Ibizan Government and the Spanish Government.
The parliamentary petition also calls for permanent measures to close the main route of entry for new snakes, identified as the transport from the mainland of large ornamental trees intended for landscaping, such as centuries-old olive trees.
The foundation proposes that seasonal restrictions and quarantines be subject to an independent scientific assessment, alongside the aforementioned ban. It has also called on the European institutions to assess the compatibility of this measure with the internal market under Article 36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
In this regard, they have argued that the regional government’s response to the foundation’s previous enquiries confirms that regulatory measures and inspections exist but “does not demonstrate that there is a sufficiently comprehensive, traceable and evaluated system to prevent the entry of invasive snakes associated with the trade in ornamental trees”. “The existence of a regulation does not equate to the effectiveness of its implementation,” insisted Saranova.
Ibiza & Formentera Preservation has also called for a step-up in the trapping of snakes already established on the islands. An internal report drawn up at the foundation’s request warns that current trapping efforts are “insufficient” to significantly reduce their population.
It is therefore calling for an extraordinary capture plan with “sufficient” funding, “verifiable” annual targets, “independent” scientific monitoring and priority given to coastal areas near islets with unique populations. It has also called for preventive surveillance, early detection and rapid response protocols to prevent snakes from reaching new islets by swimming and to act immediately if they do arrive.
The foundation commends the LIFE Reptiles project, which will mobilise 2.18 million euros in the Balearic Islands over six years, and the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) project, allocated 1.94 million euros to control invasive snakes in the Pitiusas.
However, they have asked to be informed of what proportion of the LIFE Reptiles funding will be specifically allocated to ‘Podarcis pityusensis’, what actions it will finance, whether it will include regular censuses, and how it will be coordinated with the ITS project and a specific Conservation Plan.
Finally, Ibiza & Formentera Preservation has called for a permanent coordination body involving the Regional Government, the Councils of Ibiza and Formentera, the local councils, the Species Protection Service, the Consortium for the Recovery of Balearic Fauna (Cofib), the scientific community and environmental organisations to coordinate monitoring, assess the effectiveness of the measures and integrate European and regional projects into a common roadmap.