Restoration of nature, shall we start?

It has been almost two years since the European Union approved the Nature Restoration Regulation after months of blocking by some countries opposed to this new legislation. Finally, on June 17, 2024, it was definitively approved at the last minute. Hungary changed its vote at the last moment and it was only achieved thanks to the positive vote of the Austrian minister, who even voted against the official position of her own government. This step has been decisive in making a leap forward in the environmental policies of the EU member states. Faced with a situation where nature conservation policies are no longer sufficient to stop the environmental degradation of our ecosystems, this regulation aims to restore at least 20% of the EU's terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 and all ecosystems that need it by 2050. And it does so with a stronger regulatory framework than European directives, such as those on water, habitats, and birds. This means that the regulation not only sets objectives like the directives, but all countries must obligatorily apply its entire content.

On this path towards the restoration of our seas, forests, agricultural, aquatic, and urban spaces, this year 2026 is a key milestone, as the regulation establishes that member states must present a National Restoration Plan with the areas to be restored, concrete measures, and a timetable. In this regard, the plan is currently being drawn up by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, with the collaboration of the autonomous communities and local entities. This collaboration is fundamental because regional and local administrations will be responsible for carrying out the majority of the approved measures. In the Balearic Islands, this plan faces the great challenge of reversing the strong human pressure and environmental degradation that our islands suffer from, but it could also be an opportunity to direct strong investment in research, innovation, and environmental improvement actions, taking advantage of nature restoration as another tool for economic diversification to move away from the dichotomy of construction and tourism.

, which includes the replanting of 1,600 m² of seagrass destroyed during the construction of the Ciutadella desalination plant's outfall. From civil society, the Cleanwave Foundation, with its project On land, we have a long history of forest restoration carried out in large part by the Balearic Institute of Nature (Ibanat) of the Balearic Government. We have all experienced firsthand, at some point, a fire or a strong gust of wind, and we can be grateful to have this public institution that works for the prevention, management, and response to these natural or, unfortunately, sometimes man-made disasters. This experience will be fundamental to respond to the challenges of climate change, which increase these natural risks with more frequent heatwaves and extreme winds. The recovery of fauna and flora is also part of the regulation of nature, and in the Balearic Islands there are also many public and private institutions working on it. One example has been the recovery of the kite population in Mallorca, which has gone from being in danger of extinction in the nineties to reaching a population of more than 400 wintering birds today, according to GOB censuses.

Wetlands have also been a prominent area for ecological restoration projects. In Mallorca, the collaboration between the Government, Endesa, and the GOB made possible the creation of a new lagoon in the Natural Park of s'Albufera in 2019. In Ibiza, its City Council renaturalized part of the Ses Feixes wetland. More recently, in 2023, the Alcúdia City Council, together with the conservation organization WWF and the support of the University of the Balearic Islands, launched the project RestaurAlcúdia, an example of how to give nature a second life. The Estany dels Ponts had been largely filled in by the dumping, for decades, of ashes from the Alcanada thermal power plant. Subsequently, it became an area where all sorts of waste were dumped, leading to severe degradation. This 2026, the project has been completed with the removal of 351 tons of waste, rubbish, and invasive plants. A set of coastal lagoons has also been created within the 23 hectares of restored area. Furthermore, it has been a demonstrative governance project that seeks social and political consensus to ensure the project's success. Another point to highlight about this project is that the construction company that carried out the environmental improvement works was the same one that built the controversial highways on the island of Ibiza. In this way, it has been demonstrated that nature restoration is a possible path to diversify the economy, and that companies in the construction sector can reorient their activity towards the regeneration of our territory.

Finally, in agriculture, we have many examples of farmers who are committed to regenerative and ecological agriculture, which restores our soils and local varieties. In Ibiza, the association of the Vall de Rafal Trobat has recovered an abandoned rural space with initiatives of ecological agriculture, forest management, and water improvement. It is also true that there are still important challenges pending in other areas, such as the recovery of severely overexploited aquifers, but, overall, we can say that we have a good starting experience to accelerate and multiply nature restoration actions on our islands. Furthermore, the sustainable tourism tax could be a source of funding for these actions and to recover its original objective of correcting the excesses of construction and tourism. As always, all this should be done by stopping mass tourism and urban development, and this is also stated in the new regulation. This April 22nd is World Earth Day, and it is a good day not to forget that nature is the basis of our survival. Restoring nature means regaining access to quality water, gaining food sovereignty, reducing the risks of fires and floods, and ensuring the quality of our coastal waters, among many other benefits. Shall we start?