Geographer Mateu Vic undertook the study that environmentalists Terraferida presented last week about construction in Mallorca's countryside, one finding from which suggested that 846 buildings or extensions between 2021 and 2024 have contributed to the transformation of the countryside into a luxury development.
Vic is clear as to why Terraferida have returned after three years of inactivity. "There are issues that, if we don't bring them to light, the public will never know about. Terraferida are necessary to generate these analyses.
"The big issue for me is the development of rural land: it devours the territory unchecked and fosters dynamics that are like a metastasis because it spreads everywhere. There's no awareness of this problem, and that's why we're coming back, because we have to make an impact. When you see a load of tourists in the centre of Palma or on the beach, you're aware of them and there's a response, but that doesn't happen with the case of development in rural areas."
Terraferida fell quiet before the 2023 elections and so at a time when the left were still in power. Now that the right control the main institutions, they potentially face an even greater challenge in getting their message across. But Vic doesn't see it like this. "It's a more opportune moment for our action because I think more people are becoming aware of the effects. The threats are the same, but new ones are emerging. There's a lack of awareness and organisation. There need to be groups in every neighbourhood and town. Terraferida have always strived to bring to light issues that were not addressed at all or very little. We couldn't allow Terraferida to cease to exist."
On the left, there are those who don't view Terraferida's return in a positive light. This is because the organisation exposed failures of the left when they were in government. "For certain people, our work was uncomfortable because we meticulously scrutinised them."
Vic insists that seeking to prevent the destruction of Mallorca is first and foremost a question of awareness. "The collective impact on Mallorca of building on rural land is not visible - from the loss of agricultural and forest land to the contamination of aquifers. The blame lies with legislation that allows the construction of villas at any price. I'm not so interested in who governs, but rather what those in power do. Governments, by definition, are inertia-driven and their vision is short-term. Anything that isn't flashy with immediate effects is of no interest. The left coalition protected some things, but what would have been truly commendable would have been preventing the destruction of the land in this way."
He is of the opinion that the current level of development is such that it should be completely prohibited. Regarding the right, he points to the "curious" fact that the 1991 law on natural spaces - the most restrictive legislation in the Balearics - was introduced by the PP with the support of the left.
He tires of the jibe that environmentalists want everyone to go back to horse and carts. "We don't want that; we aspire to a pleasant future for those who live here. I don't want to go back. I don't want Mallorca to be like it was in the 1930s or 50s. People's well-being depends on ceasing to have a commodity island, a theme park. And nobody is stopping it.
"The feeling that we're being invaded is obvious, and by wealthy people from northern Europe. Terraferida will not promote xenophobic rhetoric regarding the collective dispossession that is taking place. The fact that all the buyers are foreigners could fuel that xenophobic discourse from the right wing, which might want to stop it out of a sense of patriotism. But that's not happening, and it won't happen, because the far right is harsh on the weak and lenient with the powerful."
The government has said there won't be a moratorium on building in the countryside, which is what Terraferida are calling for, while the Council of Mallorca appear to have no intention of doing anything the environmentalists are advocating.
"Nor did they have any intention before. That's why it's important to raise awareness about this problem, which many are unaware of. Something as simple as eliminating holiday rentals would reduce the incentive to build many of these rural houses, because that's precisely what they're built for. In respect of holiday rentals, hoteliers and environmentalists share common interests. I would sign up to ensuring that tourists only stay in hotels."