Mallorca honours four groups for castle and vineyard work
On Mallorca, four groups receive recognition on Tuesday, 10 November, for work ranging from maintaining Alaró castle to keeping small farms in Banyalbufar in use. The Mallorca Island Council honours them for helping protect the Serra de Tramuntana, a cultural landscape recognised as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Presidency councillor Toni Fuster visits the groups where they work, hears about their projects and listens to the difficulties they face.
The visits are part of La Serra té nom, an initiative intended to make the people caring for the landscape and their work better known.
Castle doors and historic records in Alaró
The Al Rum cultural association has worked to protect Alaró’s heritage since 2006. It supports the recovery of Sa Bastida, archaeological work and the restoration of the Sampol archive at Son Curt, which holds historical records from the municipality.
Volunteers from the Alaró Castle Volunteers Association maintain the fortification. Their work includes restoring the doors of the Mare de Déu del Refugi oratory, and they work with other groups and institutions to preserve the site.
Farms and vineyards stay in use
The Andratx Agricultural Cooperative supports small farmers and livestock keepers. It promotes local products, traditional varieties and organic produce. Its projects to maintain livestock farming and grazing land also help reduce the risk of forest fires, according to the island council.
In Banyalbufar, the Tramuntana Viva cooperative works to keep Malvasía grape growing and prevent small farms from being abandoned. Their dry-stone terraces and water channels are part of the area’s traditional landscape, but the farms are difficult to manage and keep financially viable. The cooperative manages land jointly, sells Malvasía wine and is working to market olive oil with the Mallorca designation of origin. It also offers cultural and wine-related experiences.
The island council plans to visit more Serra de Tramuntana municipalities to recognise work in heritage, culture, livestock farming, traditional trades and local production.
Topics: Agriculture · Culture · Alaró · Andratx · Banyalbufar
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com