Rural development and regenerative agriculture
Son Moragues
Son Moragues is a historic mountain estate in Valldemossa, Mallorca, over 500 years old, featuring ancient olive groves, orchards, and forests. This project is focused on designing and implementing a regenerative and sustainable management strategy, addressing environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions to create a holistic model for land stewardship in the Serra de Tramuntana.
Leading Entity
Tramuntana XXI
Year
2024
Key Partnerns
APAEMA, TrueWorld, Azolla Projects
State of the Project
Ongoing
Keywords
rural estate management, sustainability, environmental credits
Sustainable Development Goals
The Challenge
The Serra de Tramuntana faces severe challenges, including land abandonment, ecological degradation, and increasing climate-related risks. These issues endanger traditional agricultural practices and the region’s ecological integrity, calling for innovative, sustainable solutions to preserve and regenerate the cultural and natural heritage of the area.
The Solution
At Son Moragues, we are establishing a pilot model of regenerative land management designed to meet the unique needs of the Serra de Tramuntana. This model is structured around three main pillars: building necessary infrastructures to revitalize the traditional primary sector, shifting to a circular and regenerative approach in agriculture and forestry, and incorporating technology and innovative financing methods, such as environmental credits, to support sustainable practices.
As a quintessential Tramuntana estate with diverse biomes and traditional crops, Son Moragues serves as a model that can be extended throughout the region. The goal is to develop replicable tools and practices that will drive regenerative efforts across the Balearics, sharing insights and methodologies with all interested parties.
Key Initiatives
- Environmental Restoration: Restoration of over 100 hectares of olive groves, 300 hectares of forests, and numerous traditional features like dry stone terraces, water channels, lookout points, and trails.
- Reactivation of Traditional Agriculture and Forestry: Son Moragues produces olive oils, fruits, vegetables, preserves, ceramics, and textiles using circular, traditional techniques integrated with modern innovations.
- Environmental Education: Son Moragues regularly organizes activities to share its best practices, extending knowledge and lessons learned to both private and public institutions.
- Implementation of Regenerative Methods: Developing practical regenerative agriculture and forestry methods tailored to the region’s needs to be shared widely across the Tramuntana.
- Digitalization and Decarbonization: Utilizing SMART tools to monitor activities and environmental impacts. Son Moragues has fully assessed its environmental footprint, adheres to strict reduction plans, and offsets residual carbon emissions through UN-certified projects.
- Life Cycle Assessment: Conducting LCAs of Son Moragues’ product range to minimize their environmental footprint from production to disposal.
- Environmental Credits: Developing the first holistic environmental credit offsetting methodology in the Balearics, enabling farmers and landowners to generate income while regenerating their land.
- Expansion Plans: Extending the model throughout the Serra de Tramuntana and other parts of the Balearic Islands, incorporating a wider variety of crops and management practices.
Impact
- Land and Ecological Restoration: Counteract land abandonment and ecological decline in the Serra de Tramuntana through cooperative efforts and regenerative practices.
- Economic and Cultural Revitalization: Strengthen the agroforestry sector, creating new income sources for farmers while preserving the region's cultural heritage.
- Community and Resilience Building: Promote community participation, develop a circular regional economy, and build resilience, establishing a pioneering model for other Mediterranean regions.
Key Partners
- Tramuntana XXI: Project leader with extensive experience in sustainable regional planning.
- True World: Partnering on environmental monitoring and public awareness.
- APAEMA: Partner in sustainable agricultural practices.
- Azolla Projects: Collaborator on developing the environmental credit methodology.
Future Outlook
FIM has been actively working on regenerative practices at Son Moragues, which has become a laboratory for holistic land management. This initiative is part of the larger Regenerative Renaissance of the Serra de Tramuntana project, set to be expanded from Son Moragues to other parts of the Balearic Islands by 2025. Designed as a four-year project, Regenerative Renaissance will initially focus on pilot estates, later expanding to the entire Serra and eventually across the islands.
Learn More
Explore our regenerative efforts and their positive impact on the Serra de Tramuntana by visiting our project page or visit their blog.