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Accepted Paper:
Afforestation, wildfires and social tensions: a study case of the Serra de Tramuntana Natural Site (Mallorca)
Maria Cifre Sabater
(Open University of Catalonia)
The expansion and densification of forests, a trend common to many southern European areas, intensifies the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Through the case study of Serra de Tramuntana (Mallorca), this communication explores some challenges and tensions that arise from the afforestation process.
Paper Abstract:
Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain), similarly to other European regions, is witnessing a process of afforestation, particularly since the second half of the 20th century, driven by the decline of agricultural, livestock, and forestry practices among local populations. While the expansion and increased density of forests can contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change at a global scale, they also present a pivotal challenge: an elevated risk of catastrophic wildfires, as witnessed in many Mediterranean areas in recent decades. This communication presents an ethnographic case study centred on the Serra de Tramuntana Natural Site in Mallorca. Though ethnographic research, I explore how the afforestation process that has been undergoing for more than seven decades lies in the centre of many social tensions regarding the environmental management strategies implemented in the protected area. Notably, the aftermath of the 2013 wildfire -the largest ever recorded in the Balearic Islands- emerges as a critical juncture that intensified these tensions. Such insights on the multiple and complex ways in which forest and forest transformations are experienced can contribute to creating more fire-resilient landscapes and communities.