In 2009, the TUI Care Foundation, the charity arm of the tourism group TUI, planted around 50,000 trees in the nature park on the Llevant Peninsula in Mallorca as part of its 'TUI Forest Mallorca' project. This marked the beginning of an initiative that aims to have over 100,000 trees by the end of 2028. The new episode of TV journalist Sibylle Tiessen’s series The Mallorcans is dedicated to this endeavour, the nature park, and its director Toni Martínez.
“There’s a lot of work to do, because the park encompasses many different ecosystems,” says Martínez. “That’s why I need to know a bit about everything and seek good advice to decide which management measures should be implemented.” The ecosystems Martínez refers to are located on beaches and dunes, in mountains, forests, and agricultural land. The nature park on the Llevant Peninsula in northeast Mallorca currently covers 17,000 hectares – 6,000 of which are marine areas – making it the largest on the island. Moreover, the park boasts rich biodiversity, with around 70 endemic species, including types of vultures, the Mallorcan frog (ferret), and protected plants such as Ranunculus weyleri and the white primrose.
Founded in 2001, the park includes two nature reserves, both home to an osprey nest. The area also features holm oak forests, wild olive groves, pine woods, steep cliffs, dune landscapes, and wetlands closely connected to watercourses and coastal ecosystems. “Endemic flowers grow here, some of which are incredibly rare worldwide,” says Martínez.
To protect this natural wealth and restore the park, the TUI Care Foundation and the Balearic Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment launched a joint project: TUI Forest Mallorca. Following the reforestation, another 10,000 trees were planted in 2014. Over the next three and a half years, an additional 42,000 olive trees, holm oaks, and kermes oaks are set to be planted. This effort will be complemented by 6,000 daffodils, sea thistles, and junipers to be planted in the coastal region of Son Real. The project also aims to diversify existing reforested areas. This means increasing the biodiversity of established forests by using the moisture and shade provided by mature trees to introduce more sensitive species.
TUI Forest Mallorca is also active in environmental education. As part of the project, more than 1,100 volunteers – including schoolchildren – take part in restoration and conservation efforts and join awareness-raising initiatives, accompanied by environmental education teams and forestry staff. All participating young people receive educational material about the park and its conservation measures. In addition, 32 jobs are being created to support reforestation, fence construction, and maintenance work. “Alongside volunteer work and school visits, the TUI Care Foundation is also funding the elaborate creation of a book about the park’s flora and fauna,” says Toni Martínez.
The final part of the current agreement with the TUI Care Foundation involves restructuring the paths along the Son Real coastline. This two-kilometre stretch of coast features a variety of paths of different sizes. The park administration has commissioned the University of the Balearic Islands to analyse the best solution to define a single trail. Delineating the path, for example, helps protect the nesting sites of the Kentish plover.
“The main aim here is to restore the habitats of local flora and fauna,” concludes Toni Martínez, “and it really is quite a comprehensive project.”
Cooperation with Tui
Support from the tourism industry: the video-project is sponsored by Europe's leading tourism group Tui and its Tui Care Foundation. The initiative was founded in 2016 with the aim of supporting sustainable projects in the destinations. The foundation focuses on the potential of the tourism sector as a driver of social development, education and prosperity. The Group promotes sustainable tourism in cooperation with local people.