Under the Balearic Government's proposed coasts law, the first of its kind for the region, the creation of a coastal asset bank is envisaged. This will allow the government to intervene directly in the purchase and recovery of coastal land.
The intention is for the government to reserve the right of first refusal for the acquisition of these assets. This would give the government priority in acquiring land in sensitive or at-risk coastal areas.
As the minister of the Sea, Juan Manuel Lafuente, points out, it would enable the government to acquire obsolete hotels at lower prices in order to revitalise degraded tourist areas or to renaturalize the coastline. A further possibility would be the authorisation of parking in places where the lack of parking spaces causes serious access and congestion problems.
Another objective would be to create buffer zones against rising sea levels and to restore degraded ecosystems.
The coasts law aims to protect structures that, while not necessarily historical monuments, are considered to be representative of the islands' heritage, such as fishermen's huts.