The Pla de Mallorca region reclaims its forests: "We have focused our attention on the Serra and have forgotten this natural vegetation"

The Pla de Mallorca is full of fragmented wooded areas scattered across the territory in a mosaic pattern, but historically "we have focused our attention on the Serra and other emblematic areas and have forgotten this natural vegetation that we need to recover," says the biologist and author of the book. Forests in the interior of Mallorca, Nature and CultureBiel Vicens. With this work – which he will present this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Sineu Town Hall auditorium – he aims to break with the "comparative injustice" that exists in relation to these wooded areas, little known despite their high value. In this regard, he exemplifies that in areas like the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, there are many protected lands that are even publicly owned. In contrast, he denounces that "publicly owned forests do not exist in the Pla, with the sole exception of the municipality of Lloret." Therefore, he asks the town councils and the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) to acquire forests and pay attention to them, since they are true lungs of biodiversity. In addition to highlighting the wooded areas in the Pla, Vicens also wants to explain the current importance of the area's forest ecosystems. "Today we know that agroforestry mosaics, like those that have barely survived until now, are capable of providing more ecosystem services than other, more extensive and homogeneous landscapes. Science highlights the benefits of natural vegetation environments for agricultural systems: protection against soil loss, protection against the elements, natural pollination, improved water infiltration and storage, among others," he explains.

The work includes 14 detailed maps of the forest formations found in the different municipalities of the Pla region, along with various data tables presenting detailed descriptions of more than 60 plant species characteristic of the forests and approximately 100 photographs for plant identification. It also includes information on common names, uses, and traditions related to the plants. Regarding popular uses and exploitation, it reminds us that people have used plants since time immemorial. In addition to medicinal uses, perhaps the best known, it highlights uses related to food (blackberries, asparagus, blackthorn, honey plants, etc.), animal feed (reed, mastic, etc.), and also plants consumed in times of scarcity (such as the bulb of the porras tree). On the other hand, there is a great diversity of artisanal uses such as carpentry, obtaining dyes, bark tannins, basketry, making utensils (this is the case with dwarf palm, buckthorn, ray, heather or wild olive), etc.

There are also plant elements that are used as natural fuel, such as firewood or charcoal. There are other uses that the author considers "more painful to see today, such as materials for making brooms (champarillas, bota...), reeds (caramuja), biocides or repellents (sea onion, colchón, etc.), for quilting (arija, carrizo), and many other uses for various activities. Finally, he highlights the uses for the production of oils, perfumes, and cosmetics (rosemary, myrtle...) and also the ornamental and ceremonial uses (sempervivum, Sant Ponç herb, etc.). "Many of these uses and applications gradually disappeared in the middle of the last century with the expansion of petroleum-derived fuels, on the one hand, and with the manufacture of chemical compounds that replaced dyes, tannins, natural remedies, and textiles, on the other," he laments.

The names of each thing

In the book, the author pays special attention to plant names. Vicens explains that even neighboring villages in the Pla region have different names for plants. "There's a climbing plant that some villages in the Pla call 'honeysuckle' and others call 'rotaboc,' and this linguistic variety, far from being a difficulty, is a richness that we should recognize and preserve," he insists. The diverse names reflect the need to differentiate plants that, in some way, served a purpose or were simply very abundant. In fact, popular names tell us a great deal about the particular species: it's very common to refer to its appearance or color (narrow-leaved buckthorn, black rockrose, thorny shrub, etc.), to its uses and benefits (rat-wort, rockrose, honeysuckle, chicken-killer, etc.), or to its characteristics. in the habitat where it is found (shade asparagus, sea onion, etc.) and also in religious references (cherry tree of Bethlehem, herb of Saint Pontius, lay friar, nun's cushion, etc.).

The allusions to animals linked to the domestic or agricultural sphere (cat's cat, turpentine tree, donkey's ear, pig's scraper, asparagus fern, etc.) are certainly curious, as are others that reflect a false gender assignment (male thyme, female heather, etc.). The author explains that synonymy and, moreover, polysemy are very common resources in popular names. Furthermore, geolinguistic variation must always be considered in popular nomenclature. This diversity of plant names, far from being a difficulty, as is often thought, demonstrates the vigor and richness of language in the field of ethnobotany.

The final chapter of the book reflects on the territorial transformation affecting the Pla de Mallorca (dysfunctionalities, tertiarization, urban pressure, etc.), precisely one of the regions that has best preserved the territorial and cultural identity of our island. "Depopulation, transformation, and changes in land use ultimately only serve to harm, directly or indirectly, the very activity that gives it its raison d'être: agriculture and livestock farming, along with the entire surrounding natural and cultural environment. Fortunately, traditional knowledge, which had often been sidelined, is being replaced by knowledge (agroecology, regenerative agriculture, organic farming, etc.) that recognizes the importance of integrating biodiversity and coexistence with the natural environment if we truly want to move towards territorial sustainability and the proper maintenance of agroecosystems," it concludes.