1- PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Mallorca has a large mountainous area called "Serra de Tramuntana". It is formed mainly by natural, semi-natural or semi-agricultural valuable landscapes. In 1991, the Law of Natural areas was passed by the Balearic government was the firsts step for its protection. It restricts and preserves it of build-up. The main figures are the followings: "Natural Area of Special Interest" and "Rural Area of Landscape Interest". In 1996, also an EU directive (79/409/EEC) designated some areas as Special Protected Zone for Birds (SPA).

The Tramuntana range runs the northwest side of Mallorca. It is 90 km long, 15 km wide and occupies a total area of approximately 1000 km². The maximum altitude is 1.445 m. It is formed by calcareous, dolomitic and loamy materials. A particular trait is karstification, the dissolution of carbonated rock in water, which gives the rocks a peculiar landscape with relief and cracks. The north coast is very abrupt and has cliff with 300 m without important sandy beaches that has preserved it of a massive tourist development.

Climate is mainly subhumid Mediterranean, with mean temperatures from 13-17ºC. Rainfall is relatively high, at over 1200 mm. annuals in the central area with the maximum of the island.

From a environmental point of view, the forest cover has a notable extension (25%), mainly occupied by pine forest. However, the most valuable vegetable formation is holm-oak forest, rich in endemic species and with a special protected status. The most interesting species are the buckthorn, the "pa porcí" (Cyclamen balearicum) or the humblest "rotgeta" (Rubia angustifolia, an endemic specie of wild madder). Other communities with landscape importance are the garrigue and reedbeeds. The Mallorca mountain garrigue is represented by wild olive trees (Olea europea) with a variety of shrubs and mediterranean lianas. Sometimes, the reedbeds (mainly the Ampelodesma mauritanica) replaces holm-oak forest when man has cut it down or altered it. On the bank of torrents we can find tree and shrub species as laurel, honeysuckle and withbearm. On the peaks we find box-trees, yews, maples, holly trees, service trees, and with-mustard trees. On the crags the vegetation is remarkable for the endemisms it contains like the "violeta de penyal" (Hippocrepis balearica), the Genista cinerea ssp. Leptoclada, thyme or wild camomile. At the base of mountains and, mainly, on the south side there are pine groves and terraces with olive and almond groves.

Its most interest fauna is the raptor group for the variety of species (Eleonora’s falcons, ospreys, peregrine falcon, booted eagle or Egyptian vultures) and also because there is a group of the black vulture. There are also many barn owls, scops owls eagle, common owls, etc

Among mammals are remarkable martens, genets, weasels and wild cimarron goats. The most interesting amphibian is an endemism to these mountains, the "ferreret" (Alystes muletensis).

2- IMPACTS

In Mallorca, the tourist model developed of "sun and beaches" or massive tourism has created a new territorial situation characterised by a high urban saturation and an environmental damage of big areas. This situation has generated richness and job however, it has also produced important impacts on the territory and the environment, specially the followings:

Reduction of traditional natural areas.

Privatisation of spaces with public use, mainly paths.

Abandonment of agricultural lands and conversion of unirrigated lands in irrigated lands.

Conversion of traditional occupations and uses of the land, mainly agriculture, in new uses: walking, rural tourism, secondary-residence, etc. sometimes in a massive way.

Destruction of fauna and flora. Extinction or danger of extinction of some species and habitats.

Landscape modification with an increase of constructions, mainly second-homes, sometimes without preserving the traditional architecture, infrastructure as the building of new roads or enlargement of old ones, etc.

Abandoning terraced lands, those have been submitted to degradation processes which accelerate its destruction.

Degradation of historical places and historical-artistic monuments with massive affluence of visitants.

Evaluating the tourism effects we could differentiate two important points:

1- Territorial occupation of infrastructures and equipment because it involve the build-up, modification and destruction of the territory and the landscape.

2- Stay of tourist produces consumption of resources as water or electricity, human pressure on the territory, waste, etc.

The relationship between tourism and environment could be a double situation. One of symbiosis because tourism contributes to preserve the environment. It is the ideal situation for getting a sustainable development of any human activity. The second one is a situation of conflict or negative impact. The overexploitation or damage of environment could manage to an unsustainable situation.

Thus, if we know the limit of tolerance of environment we can plan some activities in terms of sustainability. It is the first step for planning.

3- CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

We observe the mountainous area of Tramuntana presents a big variety of environments with high biodiversity: mountains peaks, wetlands, intermittent streams, residual eurosiberian and lauraceous flora, Mediterranean woodlands, etc. In spite of a wild appearance, this mountain environment is so modified by human activities a very long time ago and it is far from the climax community. Because they have been impoverished in their flora and fauna by the ancient direct action of cattle, by charcoal extraction, or some areas have been removed to change it in arable land building terraces, also by other modern indirect actions on the whole area. Despite of all, the Tramuntana range is one of the best-conserved areas of Mallorca For these reasons, active human actions would be needed to restore the wilderness and landscape values of the area for example with punctual actions in time. The main purpose is the declaration of protected area as Natural Park.

The level of conservation of wilderness mainly depends on the social and economic level of the rest of the island (especially of tourist coastal areas). At present, the villages of the best-conserved areas with the highest landscape values and the best balanced ecosystem have the lowest social and economic status in the Islands and their inhabitants emigrate to the richer tourist areas. These facts are negative in order to conserve the traditions and character of Mallorcan people. Thus, one of the main objectives of management of this natural area must be the improvement of the social and economic level of people living in the area. The heterogeneity of the area offers good possibilities from conservation and restoration of natural conditions in the wilder areas without urban settlements to the promotional of social and economic development near the villages.

Currently, when intensification of tourism mass pressures on coastal areas its value for tourist activities decrease. At the same time, interior or mountains areas have an increasing economic value due to the high tourist demand, so those areas are new alternatives for tourist development.

The Tramuntana range shows geographical, biological and human characteristics of mountains, as a fragile and a conservative system. In order to achieve sustainable objectives as conservation of natural resources or harmonious development with the natural environment, per example with adaptations of some areas for environmental educational or for recreational and tourist purposes, the natural values must be valued for establishing protection criteria according to a sustainable development. Thus, planning of activities starts with the knowledge of the characteristics and possibilities of environment. Thinking about new generations, there are the need of a good planning and managing of natural resources. It is necessary to obtain a equilibrium between use and conservation with a model of sustainable development.

In this way, using GIS (Geographical Information System), we have formulated a model of sustainable development based on the actual geographic potentials of the Tramuntana range. We analysed the capacity of environment carrying of this area according to its natural potential. In this way, we could identify tourist activities compatible with its environmental conservation aptitude, establishing criteria for sustainable development. These facts will have direct repercussion on the quality of life for inhabitants and indirectly on the quality of the tourist offered product. The final result has been an identification of optimal areas for conservation according to the natural properties and their tourist capacity.

The methodology used consisted of a integrate territorial analysis of the study area. The territorial value represents the integration or sum of all relevant aspects (natural and socioeconomical).

The model of value territorial was realised following those steps for each studied variable:

1. Assigning a value (from 1 to 5) to each category of all selected variables.

2. Processing the information of the data base to obtain its weight.

3. New classification of values for more efficiency.

4. Cartographic representation of results.

With the resultant map "Territorial value", we can easily deduce conflicts between some relationships with recent and future actions. If the territorial value is high its vocation is the conservation and the regeneration of its natural and landscape values. The medium values, less fragile than the previous, show a characteristic more suitable for recreational activities (walking, camping,...,) that don't need big infrastructures. The areas with lower values, generally near to the urban areas or infrastructures, show a need of rehabilitation and, thus, increase its value. This type of valuation has to be useful for establishing protection criteria, not for development criteria.

Anyway, all the activities, tourist or not, require a planning and its control.

4. BIBLIOGRAPHY

EQUIP TRAMUNTANA (1988). Pla Territorial Parcial de la Serra de Tramuntana. COPOT-UIB. Palma. Spain.

GOB/ADENA-WWF (1992). La Serra de Tramuntana, parc natural. Informe sobre la Serra de Tramuntana: estat actual. Problemàtica i futur. GOB. Palma de Mallorca. Spain.

MOREY, M. (1983). "A proposal of the Majorcan northern mountain ridge -Serra de Tramuntana- as natural park. In Contemporany ecological-geographical problems of the Mediterranean. Proceedings of the VII Symposium of the IGU Commission on Environmental Problems. International Geographical Union. UNESCO. Palma de Mallorca. Spain.

RAMON, J. (1995). Desenvolupament turístic sostenible a la Serra de Tramuntana. Beca d’Investigació. Conselleria de Cultura Educació i Esports. Govern Balear. (Unpublished).

SA NOSTRA-GEM (1998). La Serra de Tramuntana. Aportacions per a un debat. Papers de Medi Ambient, 3. Sa Nostra-GEM. Palma de Mallorca. Spain.

UNIVERSITAT DE LES ILLES BALEARS (1991). Llibre Blanc del Turisme a Balears. Conselleria de Turisme. Govern Balear (Mallorca). Spain.