British overseas territory Gibraltar has completely banned the release of helium-filled balloons following a government statement which was officially released last week (Thursday 21 March 2019).
“The government has published regulations to ban the deliberate release of gas-filled balloons,” the government of Gibraltar said in a public statement.
Based on Spain’s southern coast, Gibraltar’s government went on to say that the move would; “reiterate its commitment to clean seas, free of plastics and other non-biodegradable materials which cause so much harm to wildlife.”
The balloon ban was introduced following years of campaigning by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society and other local wildlife organisations.
For 25 years, Gibraltar was one of the main culprits for balloon releases, as 30,000 red and white helium balloons were released each September on Gibraltar’s National Day. This traditional practice ended in 2017, but the government has now extended that ban to include all releases throughout the territory.
“We owe it to the environment, especially the oceans and their rich and threatened wildlife,” said John Cortes, Gibraltar’s minister responsible for the environment, on Twitter. He added, “Small nations have equal duty.”
