The Government officially announces the purchase of four public properties in Artà and Capdepera.

PalmThe Catalan government officially announced this Thursday the purchase of the public estates of Son Jaumell, in Capdepera, and Cala Torta, Cala Mitjana, and Cala Estreta, in Artà. The event took place this morning at the Cala Mesquida viewpoint, attended by the President of the Executive, Marga Prohens, and the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet. The purchase of the four estates, which cover a total area of 583.9 hectares and are located in protected areas, has involved an outlay of €3.38 million, the government reported in a statement. "This transaction represents a key milestone for the preservation of Mallorca's natural and cultural heritage, as the acquired estates are located within areas of maximum environmental protection, such as the Natura 2000 Network and the Levante Peninsula Natural Park," Prohens emphasized. They also include the Cabo del Freu Nature Reserve, an ecological enclave where emblematic species such as the osprey nest (Pandion haliaetus) or the sea raven (Phalacrocorax aristotelios).

The acquisition of these four, Prohens has pointed out, will allow the network of routes in the Levante Peninsula Natural Park to be expanded with new paths that will connect points of natural, scenic and historical interest, specifically to areas such as Coll de Marina, the Son Jaumell watchtower and the access points to the beaches.

In this way, he added, "the public ownership of these lands will not only allow for ecological restoration and invasive species control actions, but will also facilitate the regulation of access to the pristine coves of Artà (Coca Cove, Mitjana Cove and Estreta Cove).

In addition, he concluded, it will offer local councils the possibility of regulating certain activities that take place in these and other tourist areas of the Balearic Islands. "This will allow us greater control and planning to preserve the environment," he noted.

Simonet, for his part, highlighted the heritage and ethnographic value of these estates, which house elements such as the Son Jaumell defence tower, lime kilns, charcoal burners' huts and remains of traditional buildings that "represent a key resource for environmental education and cultural interpretation."

With this operation, Capdepera now has, for the first time, a public estate of more than 500 hectares. Artà expands the total number of public estates in its municipal area by 92.97 hectares, adding to the existing ones in Belén, Alqueria Vella, Albarca, Verger, and Duaia.