More public land to take care of natural areas

Balearic Islands set to gain more public land in protected areas using funds from the ITS fund

What does it consist of?

The Balearic administration is promoting the purchase of land within protected natural areas. The aim is to strengthen the management of this land, facilitate orderly access for visitors and ensure the effective conservation of habitats and species in key areas of the archipelago.

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Data

PROJECT TITLE IN THE CALL
Increasing the area of publicly owned land in protected natural areas
LOCATION
Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza
Entity submitting the PROJECT
Govern de les Illes Balears
Entity that executes the project
Conselleria d'Agricultura Pesca i Medi Natural
Project code
ITS2023-050
Total project amount
3.125.000 €
ITS granted amount
3.125.000 €
Executed amount
1.829.970 €
Call year
2023
Execution status
In execution
Purpose
Environment
Budget execution
Executed: 58.56%
Last data request
26.02.2026

The project

The Balearic Islands have over 182,000 hectares of protected natural areas, both on land and at sea. However, only a small portion of this territory is in public hands. In some cases, such as s'Albufereta or the illots de Ponent, management is carried out even though there is no public estate.

This project opens a process to analyse and purchase key land to improve the conservation and public use of these environments. It is not based on a closed list of properties, but rather on a technical assessment of priorities that will determine which estates can be included in the public network according to their availability and strategic value.

The objectives of future acquisitions are diverse: to restore habitats, create tours for visitors, set up interpretation centres, prevent deterioration or recover ethnological heritage. There are also plans to improve the water supply to wetlands and to increase wildlife observation points, especially for birds.

This type of action reinforces environmental protection and adaptation to climate change. Increasing public ownership enables quicker intervention, the restoration of deteriorated areas and the expansion of areas acting as carbon sinks. A measure that, although modest at first, may set the course towards more efficient management of the Balearic Islands' natural heritage.