Fire map for the Tramuntana: What the new 142-hectare plan leaves unresolved

Fire map for the Tramuntana: What the new 142-hectare plan leaves unresolved

The island council has decided to carry out preventive forestry work on 142 hectares in the Serra de Tramuntana. €1.8 million from the tourist tax is to be used for this, 19 municipalities are affected, and the measures are to begin in the first half of 2026 and run until 2027. According to the plan, the aim is to remove easily flammable undergrowth — including along road edges.

Key question

Is removing undergrowth in selected places enough to sustainably reduce the fire risk in a rugged mountain range like the Tramuntana?

Critical analysis

The idea of removing fuel sounds logical. In practice the Tramuntana is not a homogeneous forest but a mosaic of olive groves, maquis, pine forests, terraces and roadside strips. Spread over 142 hectares, each measure takes on a local character: exactly where will work be carried out — on steep slopes above Deià, on the approaches to the Ma-10 without cameras, near Coll de Sóller or at the high elevations around Bunyola? Such details determine whether an area actually becomes easier to protect or whether unintended erosion and habitat loss may follow.

Funding via the tourist tax is pragmatic, but it raises a public-political debate: does this bind resources in the short term that would be better spent long-term on maintenance, firefighting infrastructure or local prevention? Who will check whether the work is carried out and supervised professionally — foresters, environmental authorities, local municipalities or independent experts?

What is missing from the public debate

There is a lack of lively discussion about priorities and methods. Rarely is there public talk of follow-up care — that is, what happens after the undergrowth has been removed. Will areas be refinished so that grass and herb growth do not simply fill the void? How will access for emergency vehicles be improved without creating new tracks that damage the landscape? And: how will local shepherds, farmers and residents be involved? They know the fine-grained risks better than any central planner.

Everyday scene from the Tramuntana

A cold morning at the Mirador des Colomer: car tires throw up salt and damp gravel from the MA-10, the scent of pine resin hangs in the air, a shepherd secures his flock with a sharp whistle, an elderly woman from Deià sweeps olive leaves from her steps. For her, fire protection is not an abstract project but the question of whether her house will be safe through the summer. Such scenes show how closely protective measures are linked to everyday life and identity on the island.

Concrete approaches

1) Mapping with transparency: The 142 hectares must be precisely located and made publicly accessible — maps with parcel boundaries, ownership and planned measures. 2) Local participation: Municipalities, shepherds and winemakers should sit in working groups with technical forestry experts. Small interventions agreed locally reduce conflicts. 3) Combination of measures: Undergrowth removal alone is not enough. Fire breaks, maintenance of water-storing terraces, access routes for firefighting vehicles and regular follow-up care financed beyond the project term are needed. 4) Monitoring and evaluation: Independent assessments should document effects and side effects — erosion, biodiversity and the risk of newly created fuel areas. 5) Education and prevention: Information for tourists and residents — for example about smoking at the roadside or exposed barbecue areas — reduces human-caused fires.

Concluding note

The investment of €1.8 million is a step in the right direction, but not a cure-all. Without clear maps, transparent processes, follow-up care and local involvement, the plan remains a first scratch at the surface. The Tramuntana is too valuable and too fragile to be protected by blunt roadside clearing alone. A slower, controlled approach would be better, where each removed shrub patch also has a plan for what comes next.