Government Aid to Protect Farming Heritage in Protected Areas

The project supports farms in natural parks and heritage sites

What does it consist of?

More than €220,000 has been earmarked to compensate farms located in special natural or heritage environments. The aid gives credit to the active role these farms play in the conservation of the landscape, biodiversity and cultural identity of the Balearic Islands.

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Data

PROJECT TITLE IN THE CALL
Conservation of the cultural and natural heritage of farming facilities located in protected areas of nature
LOCATION
Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera
Entity submitting the PROJECT
Govern de les Illes Balears
Entity that executes the project
Fons de Garantia Agrària i Pesquera de les Illes Balears (FOGAIBA)
Project code
ITS2016-009
Total project amount
500.000 €
ITS granted amount
500.000 €
Executed amount
223.878 €
Call year
2016
Execution status
Executed
Purpose
Environment
Budget execution
Executed: 44.78%
Last data request
26.09.2023

The project

The protected natural areas of the Balearic Islands, such as s'Albufera, Mondragó and Ses Salines, represent important environmental heritage for the archipelago. In many of these environments, farming activity is still going strong. And far from being a threat, it’s seen as essential to ecological balance. From the Tramuntana Mountains to the s'Albufereta Reserve in Mallorca, the farms maintain paths, pastures and ethnographic elements of great cultural and environmental value.

To give credit to this work, the Government launched a specific line of aid aimed at farms located in protected natural areas or with buildings recognised as cultural heritage. The subsidies, managed by FOGAIBA (Balearic Islands Agricultural and Fisheries Guarantee Fund), cover actions such as path enhancement, the recovery of native livestock breeds, and investments in material resources for conservation.

The beneficiaries are small and medium-sized farms that, in addition to producing food, protect intangible heritage. In Menorca, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, this approach is consistent with decades of balance between the farming economy and land protection. In Mallorca, too, many Tramuntana farms continue to play a key role in shaping the landscape.

Although the initial budget was €500,000, around €224,000 has been spent. The programme has set an important precedent in the design of agricultural policies that focus on the land. This aid not only sustains traditional activities, but also includes conservation as part of the countryside’s future.