The miraculous island
Compared to other islands in the Balearic archipelago, but also more generally to the Spanish coastline, Menorca has all the makings of a miracle. It seems to be the only island to have been left untouched by concrete development. Ibiza and Majorca, on the other hand, have paid the price of expansive urbanization to meet the needs of ever-increasing tourism, even if this means sacrificing their rich biodiversity. The phenomenon is such that it has given rise to a new urban planning jargon: balearization, which designates the intensive artificialization of a coastline, as in the Balearic Islands..
Menorca, on the other hand, has succeeded in preserving its wild landscapes, to such an extent that it was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in October 1993. The idea behind this classification is to distinguish certain sites that reconcile the interests of man and nature.
There are several reasons for this success: the seasonal nature of tourism, which is lower for six months of the year, allowing the island to regenerate itself; Menorca's great rural tradition; and the fact that the island is the most northerly and easterly of the Balearic Islands, making it geographically more isolated and therefore a little more spared from tourist traffic than its sister islands.
To maintain this fragile balance, the Consell Insular de Menorca is responsible for protecting the biosphere reserve. Every five years, it publishes an action plan to apply the principles of sustainable development on the island, including measures for waste management, ecosystem conservation and controlled urban planning.
A number of citizen initiatives have also helped to achieve this balance between tourism development and environmental preservation, notably the involvement of associations such as the Grup Balear d'Ornitologia i Defensa de la Naturalesa. As early as the 1970s, the NGO had been carrying out projects aimed at ensuring that tourism did not take place at the expense of the environment, under the slogan " If you love Menorca, don't destroy it ". This strong citizen mobilization has helped to bend the authorities, who in the 1970s had planned a development scheme aimed at intensive urbanization of the island's entire coastline.
Strengthened by these efforts, in 2019 the island succeeded in obtaining Unesco approval for an extension of its biosphere reserve, now encompassing all the island's marine territory.
The victory of ecotourism
Minorca's success in reconciling tourism and ecology is also due to the fact that in the 1970s, while Ibiza and Mallorca were focusing on mass tourism, the island took the pioneering step of ecotourism. While its cousins were concreting over their coastlines, Menorca sought to extend the size of its protected areas. In 1999, for example, the island created the Northern Menorca Marine Reserve to protect marine wildlife.
Menorca is also working hard to develop ecotourism-related infrastructures, such as hiking trails. The Camí de Cavalls is a perfect example. This historic trail, which runs 186 km around the island, was for a long time split up into several private properties. In the 2000s, the Parliament of the Balearic Islands undertook a major project to make the entire trail public, then restore and mark it out. The project required almost two million euros of public funding, but this investment now enables visitors to tour the island without ever using a motor vehicle, but rather on foot, mountain bike or horseback.
In the same spirit, the island has voluntarily limited the development of its road network. As a result, many of the island's fragile natural sites, particularly its beaches, are accessible only on foot, protecting them from excessive tourist pressure.
As for accommodation, ecolodges and other sustainable lodgings are springing up all over the island. To take things a step further, in 2016 the Balearic Islands government introduced a sustainable tourism tax for all tourist accommodation on the island. In concrete terms, each overnight stay on the island gives rise to a tax ranging from €0.25 to €4, the funds from which are used entirely for the development of sustainable tourism.
On the front line of climate change
Like most islands, the Balearic Islands are particularly exposed to the risks of climate change. In addition to polarizing the archipelago's dry climate and exposing it to extreme climatic phenomena, such as the multiplication of rissaga, small-scale tsunamis, the phenomenon also exposes it to the significant risk of rising sea levels. It is estimated that sea levels around the Balearic Islands could rise by 50 to 70 cm by the end of the century. As a result, the island chain could lose up to 65% of its beaches.
To curb this phenomenon, the Balearic Islands have already taken some key measures. In 2019, Parliament voted in favor of an ambitious project to achieve zeroCO2 emissions by 2050. To achieve this, the Balearic Islands have already drawn up a concrete action plan: use 100% clean energy, produce 85% of energy locally, eliminate diesel-powered cars, switch all rental vehicles on the islands to all-electric..
Preserved spaces
Menorca boasts numerous protected areas that delight visitors and wildlife alike. The most precious of these is the Albufera d'Es Grau nature park, which covers 5,000 ha and is the largest nature park on the island. This marshy area is of particular interest for ornithological conservation, as it is home to numerous species of aquatic birds and birds of prey.
In the south-east of the island, a small isolated islet a few hundred metres off the coast is a godsend, not for birdwatchers, but rather for diving enthusiasts. The Illa de l'Aire marine reserve boasts numerous underwater caves, providing a prime habitat for an abundance of aquatic fauna. On land, the reserve consists of a flat 34-hectare islet, almost entirely devoid of vegetation. It is home to a surprising inhabitant: the black lizard(Podarcis lilfordi), a reptile endemic to the Balearic Islands and found only on these rocky islets.
