Managing protected natural spaces in the Balearic Islands

The project

The measures set out in this management project for the protected areas of nature in the Balearic Islands are as follows:

- Conservation management. Activities aimed at the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the protected areas of nature.

- Socioeconomic development. The positive relationship is recognised between a certain kind of economic use and the preservation of the natural values of these areas. Work is needed to overcome the exclusive dependency on public funding and tourism as the sole alternative.

- Public use. Faced with the increase in tourist demand in areas of nature, activities are included such as organising the agenda for the general public, tending to visitors in information centres, producing itineraries, producing signs for exhibitions, and creating and maintaining information and interpretation centres, among others.

- Research and monitoring. The management and monitoring programmes and projects are an essential for of support for managing these areas of land.

- Involvement. Categorisation as an area of nature requires The involvement of the relevant social agents and land owners and their participation with the public administration is needed for land to be declared a protected area of nature. This is a joint project.

- Maintenance. All maintenance activities carried out in these areas, specifically on infrastructures and equipment, and very specifically on the habitats in each area of nature.
- Surveillance. Activities aimed at identifying and preventing actions that are illegal and damaging for the conservation of the environment that are carried out by Environmental Officers.

- Administration. All administrative tasks carried out by the managerial team for each protected area of nature and which are included in an annual report.

- Planning. An annual implementation plan that includes all the planned measures to be carried out during the year in each protected area of nature.

- Assessment. An ongoing assessment needs to be carried out of the management of each protected area of nature, which already occurs to an extent with the annual management reports that are produced, but improvement is needed with assessments to evaluate management efficacy and efficiency.