Stones from the wall: Tourists damage dry-stone wall at Es Colomer — a reality check

Stones from the wall: Tourists damage dry-stone wall at Es Colomer — a reality check

A video from Formentor, trouble in the car park and the question: How do we protect cultural heritage from careless day-trippers?

A short, sharp phone video is currently stirring emotions on the island. At the Es Colomer viewpoint, on the road to the Formentor lighthouse, members of a foreign tour group can be seen pulling stones out of a dry-stone wall and apparently throwing them into the sea. A local resident filmed the scene and posted the footage online. In the audio of the clip an English remark can be heard, which makes it quite clear: "because we fucking want to".

Es Colomer is the kind of place where the wind smells of salt, pine needles fall on the gravel and coach groups share the view in the morning. Dry-stone walls are part of the Tramuntana's building culture and were recognised as intangible cultural heritage in 2018. They are not just decorative, but part of centuries-old land management and water regulation — valuable both as craft and for ecology.

Leading question: Why does the frown over a video so often end in outrage instead of in sustainable protection for the site? The outrage on social media is understandable, but it is not enough if no one turns it into something practical. It is not yet known whether a complaint has been filed or whether local authorities recorded the incident.

Critical analysis: The problem has several levels. First: visibility plus easy access — viewpoints like Es Colomer are public, easily reachable and often lack clear instructions on permitted behaviour. Second: information deficit — many visitors do not know these walls are more than decoration. Third: lack of enforcement — there is little staff on site to address people directly; where controls exist they usually concern traffic rules, not monument protection.

What rarely appears in the public discussion is the question of chains of responsibility. Who is actually responsible for maintaining historic dry-stone walls? Municipalities, conservation groups, island funding bodies — they all play a role, but often without sufficient resources. And: there is a lack of clear, practical guidance for tourism participants — not just appeals, but rules that are communicated clearly and enforced locally.

An everyday scene: On a hot August day I see a family unpacking a picnic after stopping at Es Colomer, the children climbing on the edge, a couple taking selfies a few steps away. A minibus rattles off, a tour guide waves the route leaflet. This light-heartedness is part of the appeal, but becomes dangerous when no one explains why fiddling with the wall is harmful — and how little effort it would take to refrain.

Concrete solutions: better signage at all major viewpoints in several languages with a short explanation ("Dry-stone wall: protected cultural heritage — please do not touch"); a visible presence of rangers or volunteer ambassadors in high season; targeted information campaigns in hotels, car rental offices and parking areas; easy reporting channels for witnesses (QR code on information boards); and, where necessary, targeted video surveillance to protect particularly sensitive sections — always in compliance with data protection rules.

For medium-term protection, money is also needed: funding programmes for the restoration of dry-stone walls that employ local stone masons. This creates jobs and increases the likelihood that interventions will be noticed. Finally, a cultural approach helps: if visitors are briefly told before the wall that it contains intergenerational knowledge, they are more likely to treat it with respect than as a toy.

Pointed conclusion: One outraging video alone does not solve the problem. It shows how thin the protection of social and material commons has become — and how quickly a snapshot can spark a wider debate. It would be better to channel the energy of the outraged into concrete measures: information, presence, funding for maintenance. Then Es Colomer remains a viewpoint instead of becoming a roadside dump for stone souvenirs.

Whether the authorities are now investigating remains open. What is clear, however, is that if we do not explain, protect and occasionally sanction, the walls will continue to suffer under the weight of ignorance and indifference. And the island we love will be a little poorer.