Nature restoration, shall we start?

It has been almost two years since the European Union approved the Nature Restoration Law after months of blockades by some countries opposed to this new regulation. Finally, on June 17, 2024, it was definitively approved at the last minute. Hungary changed its vote at the last moment and it was achieved only 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 taking a leap forward in the environmental policies of the EU member countries. Faced with a situation where nature conservation policies are no longer enough to stop the environmental degradation of our ecosystems, this regulation aims to restore at least 20% of the EU's land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of it by 2050. And it does so with a stronger regulatory status than European directives, such as those for water, habitats, and birds. This means that the regulation does not only set objectives like the directives, but that all countries must compulsorily apply the entire content.

On this path towards the restoration of our seas, forest, agricultural, aquatic, and urban spaces, this year 2026 is a key milestone, because the regulation establishes that member states must present a National Restoration Plan with the areas to be restored, concrete measures, and a calendar. In this sense, the plan is currently being drawn up by the Ministry for the 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 most 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, but it could also be an opportunity to direct strong investment in research, innovation, and environmental improvement actions, taking advantage of nature restoration as one more tool for economic diversification to move away from the construction and tourism binomial.

It should be noted that on our islands we are not starting from scratch, and over the last few decades, numerous ecological restoration actions have already been carried out. Thus, we are pioneers in marine restoration thanks to the applied research work of the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (Imedea). This institution carried out the first successful tests of Posidonia meadow restoration to reverse the reduction in surface area suffered due to the impact of marine infrastructure and nautical activity. Currently, it is working with the Socio-environmental Observatory of Menorca on the European project ARTEMIS, which includes the replanting of 1,600 m² of Posidonia destroyed during the construction of the Ciutadella desalination plant's outfall. From civil society, the Cleanwave Foundation, with its MedGardens project, is also carrying out actions to replant Posidonia and algae forests in Portocolom, Sant Telm, and Formentor. On the other hand, in Cala Millor, the European project AdaptCalaMillor is being developed, which combines science and governance to establish a demonstrative plan for climate change adaptation. Given the already tangible effects of coastal erosion due to rising sea levels, the Government of the Balearic Islands is leading this project with the support of local entities, research centers, and hoteliers, proposing nature-based solutions.

In the terrestrial sphere, we have a long history of forest restoration carried out largely by the Balearic Institute of Nature (Ibanat) of the Balearic Government. We have all experienced, at some point, a fire or a windstorm up close, and we can be thankful to have this public institution that works for the prevention, management, and response to these natural—or, unfortunately, sometimes provoked—catastrophes. This experience will be fundamental for responding to the challenges of climate change, which increase these natural risks with more frequent heat waves and extreme windstorms. 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 doing work. An example has been the recovery of the red kite population in Mallorca, which has gone from the danger of extinction in the nineties to reaching a population of more than 400 wintering birds today, according to the GOB censuses.

Wetlands have also been a leading 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 s'Albufera Natural Park in 2019. In Ibiza, its City Council renaturalized part of the Es Freus wetland area. More recently, the Alcudia City Council, with the conservation organization WWF and the support of the University of the Balearic Islands, began the RestaurAlcúdia project in 2023, a true example of how to give nature a second life. The dels Ponts pond had been filled, in large part, by the dumping of ash from the s'Alcanada thermal power plant over several decades. Subsequently, it became an area where all kinds of trash were dumped, leading to severe degradation. This 2026, the project was completed with the removal of 351 tons of trash, waste, and invasive plants. A set of coastal lagoons has also been created across the 23 hectares of restored surface area. Furthermore, it has been a demonstrative governance project that seeks social and political consensus to ensure the project's success. One more 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 take to diversify the economy, and that companies in the construction sector can reorient their activity toward the regeneration of our territory.

Finally, in agriculture we have many examples of farmers who are opting for regenerative and organic farming, which recovers our soils and local varieties. In Ibiza, the Vall de Rafal Trobat association has recovered an abandoned rural space with initiatives for organic farming, forest management, and water improvement. It is also true that there are still important pending challenges 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 tourism overcrowding and urban development, and this is also stated in the new regulation. This April 22nd is 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 begin?