The Balearic Government has launched a new reforestation campaign in the Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant, with the aim of exceeding 40,000 trees and shrubs planted. The work will focus particularly on the s’Alqueria Vella public estate in Artà and aims to restore habitats affected by fires and other forms of degradation.
The new phase follows on from the campaign that ended last February with more than 20,000 trees planted. A further 20,000 specimens are now due to be planted in s’Alqueria Vella, taking the total for the project to more than 40,000.
Reforestation work in the Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant. Photos: CAIB.
The work forms part of the TUI Forest programme, developed through an agreement between the Balearic Government and the TUI Care Foundation. The project will continue until 2028 with maintenance work, habitat restoration, species conservation and environmental education.
A forest more resilient to climate change
The reforestation incorporates measures designed to improve the forests’ ability to adapt to rising temperatures, drought and increasingly irregular rainfall. To achieve this, a greater diversity of species will be planted and only locally sourced plant material will be used.
The plants come from the Centre Forestal de Menut (CEFOR, Menut Forestry Centre) and are grown from seeds and plant material collected within the park itself. Teams from the Institut Balear de la Natura (IBANAT) are carrying out the work.
The species being planted include Aleppo pine, wild olive, Mediterranean buckthorn, mock privet, strawberry tree and holm oak.
The Director-General for the Natural Environment and Forest Management, Anna Torres, explained that climate conditions require changes to the way forests are restored. The aim, she said, is to create forest areas that are “more diverse and resilient” to the effects of climate change.
Only two Balearic boxwood specimens remain in the park
One of the most distinctive aspects of the project will be efforts to strengthen species with a very limited presence in the Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant, such as Balearic boxwood (Buxus balearica) and kermes oak (Quercus coccifera).
In the case of Balearic boxwood, only two specimens currently remain in the park. Cuttings have been taken from them and are now being propagated at the Menut forestry nursery.
The aim is to produce new specimens to strengthen the population and support its conservation within the natural park itself.
Restoration and environmental education until 2028
The project is not limited to planting trees. Until 2028, areas reforested in previous years will be maintained and diversified, while conservation efforts for species of interest will also be strengthened.
There are also plans to begin restoring coastal areas, particularly dune systems, as well as organising environmental volunteering activities and visits for schools.
The agreement also includes the publication of an environmental education book and the installation and improvement of interpretive signage in the Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant.
The Regional Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, highlighted that the collaboration with the TUI Care Foundation makes it possible to maintain a long-term initiative combining “habitat restoration, conservation and environmental education”.
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