‘Es Bosc’: A Green Lung to Offset Tourism in Mallorca

In Mallorca, one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, the environmental impact of the hotel sector is an issue of growing concern. The influx of millions of visitors per year increases CO₂ emissions, but also creates an opportunity for innovation in sustainability. This is the context in which Es Bosc was created, a forest carbon sink promoted by the Eulen Group and officially registered with the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).

Located on a private estate in the municipality of Campos, this project is home to more than 2,400 trees spread over three hectares, including native Mediterranean species. The most amazing feature is its absorption capacity: around 1,302.83 tonnes of carbon dioxide. To put this into perspective, this is equivalent to the emissions of more than 1,100 flights between Madrid and Palma.

But what really sets Es Bosc apart is that it’s designed specifically for the tourism industry, allowing hotels and hospitality businesses to offset their CO₂ emissions locally, without having to resort to international or non-specific solutions. According to Esperanza Llin, Eulen’s Director for the Balearic Islands and National Tourism Manager, the project responds to the group's commitment to the 2030 Agenda and climate neutrality targets, aligning itself with the priorities of sustainable tourism. “We are fully in favour of offsetting CO₂ emissions at the source. Now, Mallorcan companies can do it on home soil,” says Llin.

Moreover, Es Bosc has been included in the Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organisations’ (CEOE) list of good environmental practices, in collaboration with the Balearic Confederation of Business Associations (CAEB), recognising its value as a replicable model. It therefore has a positive impact on biodiversity, environmental innovation and social responsibility. The project has also received the collaboration of Nura Hotels, reinforcing the union between the hotel sector and climate action.

Forest carbon sinks are now considered a key tool in the fight against climate change. Through photosynthesis, trees capture CO₂ from the atmosphere, store carbon and release oxygen. This function has made forests key to global strategies such as the Kyoto Protocol, which enables the quantification of their contribution to emission reduction targets.

As such, initiatives such as Es Bosc go beyond a mere symbolic gesture: they are verifiable, localised and measurable actions. And they do so in an environment which, due to its ecological importance and strain from tourism, is in urgent need of holistic solutions. According to recent studies, a single mature Aleppo pine, a common species in the Balearic Islands, can absorb up to 50 tonnes of CO₂ per year. This is equivalent to emissions from 30 cars travelling 10,000 km.

The idea of offsetting emissions locally is nothing new, yet it’s still not the norm. In Spain, sinks registered with MITECO are still rare, and even fewer are linked to private companies in the tourism industry. That’s why Es Bosc represents a groundbreaking milestone.

The project is also in line with the strategic vision of the Eulen Group, which promotes a sustainable supply chain and actively works to make sure its suppliers also measure and reduce their environmental impact. The initiative therefore goes beyond planting trees, as part of a broader business strategy.

In short, Es Bosc is not just a forest. It’s a symbol of ecological transition, a tangible gesture in a sector often singled out for its environmental impact. Above all, it’s proof that offsetting emissions is not a utopian ideal, but a possible, measurable and replicable reality.