The Consell de Mallorca is initiating a procedure to draft a law to protect the Serra de Tramuntana cultural landscape, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2011.
Unesco considers the Serra de Tramuntana to be of exceptional universal value due to the fact that «constitutes a significant example of the Mediterranean agricultural landscape, which, after centuries of transformations of the steep terrain morphology to exploit the scarce available resources and thanks to the specific orogenetic, climatic and vegetation conditions, has been made productive and well-adapted to human settlement. The system of terraces and cobbled road network, common to many Mediterranean landscapes, is here combined with an articulated network of devices for the management of water, revolving around farming units of feudal origins. Several villages, churches, sanctuaries, towers, lighthouses and small dry-stone structures punctuate the terraced landscape and contribute to its actual character.»
The most appropriate instrument to achieve the objectives of the declaration as World Heritage is a text of legal rank, and currently there are no specific regulations on the subject, there are only sectorial or generic rules.
The proposed law aims to regulate the protection of the cultural landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana by means of four main lines of action to intervene in the rehabilitation and restoration of the heritage, as well as in reconstruction when necessary: recognition, preservation, management and planning.
Timeline of the administrative procedure for drafting the Law regulating the cultural landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana
- 13 January 2025. Resolution ordering the processing of a public consultation prior to the drafting of a proposed Law on the Serra de Tramuntana.
- 19 February 2026. Approval of the opening of a public hearing and information process in relation to the proposed law regulating the cultural landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana World Heritage Site. Individuals and legal entities may submit their comments and provide any documents they deem appropriate until 15 April 2026. The procedure should preferably be carried out via the Consell de Mallorca's e-office, following this model for comments.
