Ana Riera

How is the Mallorca Preservation Foundation contributing to the proliferation of more sustainable practices across its economy?

The Mallorca Preservation Foundation is a replica of Ibiza Preservation, which was the first foundation of its kind established in Ibiza about 15 years ago. The success of Ibiza Preservation spurred the creation of a similar model and structure in Mallorca, connected to a network of sister foundations in other places. Preservation Foundations in general rely on locals, and their missions are to bring forward environmental initiatives through various resources and connect them with people and companies that have the capacity to finance or provide logistical support for environmental projects.

How would you assess the involvement of Mallorca’s private sector in environmental protection projects?

The foundation is celebrating its fifth year, and our main objective has been to raise awareness to preserve our island’s natural beauty. Our steering committee is made up of people actively involved in the sustainability of Mallorca that share the same values. COVID-19 was a blow to our initial operations, though businesses on the island soon realized that the way forward for Mallorca was sustainability. In addition, the economy of the island comprises many family businesses, which at beginning saw us as a foreign entity but soon realized the opportunities for collaboration that we offered. Their collaboration has positively affected our work, and we appreciate that it goes beyond the financial sphere.