Cala Millor proceeds with its climate change adaptation plan

A participatory workshop with political representatives helps move forward in the assessment and prioritisation of coastal adaptation strategies.

The Ministry of Enterprise, Self-Employment and Energy, through the Directorate General for Circular Economy, Energy Transition and Climate Change, has taken a further decisive step in designing the adaptation plan for the urban beach and bay of Cala Millor by holding a participatory workshop aimed at political representatives from the municipalities of Son Servera and Sant Llorenç des Cardassar.

This initiative forms part of the European LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project, a pilot governance project for the adaptation of the Balearic coastline. Its objective is to reduce the vulnerability of infrastructure, tourism activity and coastal ecosystems to processes such as coastal erosion and the gradual rise in sea level, through a combination of scientific knowledge, territorial analysis and institutional participation.

The workshop made it possible to share the main findings of the technical studies carried out within the framework of the project and to advance in the identification, discussion and evaluation of different adaptation strategies. These strategies are based on medium- and long-term scenarios and on technical and scientific criteria, incorporating both nature-based solutions and hybrid solutions for the protection and management of coastal space.

The session was structured in two phases: an initial informative phase focused on the context, objectives and scientific basis of the project, followed by a participatory phase aimed at exchanging contributions and prioritising the proposed measures, thereby strengthening multi-level governance mechanisms and shared institutional responsibility.

According to the studies conducted as part of the project, the rise in mean sea level and the progressive reduction in dry beach width increase Cala Millor’s coastal exposure to flooding and extreme events, with direct effects on ecosystem services and the tourism functionality of the area. In response to this scenario, the project proposes various adaptation strategies, such as the planned setback of the seafront promenade or the gradual redesign of the coastal frontage, always with the aim of increasing the resilience of the coastal system while balancing environmental protection with social use of the space.

The Director General for Circular Economy, Energy Transition and Climate Change, Diego Viu, stated that “LIFE AdaptCalaMillor enables progress towards a replicable coastal adaptation model, based on scientific evidence, long-term planning and the active involvement of local administrations,” and stressed that “the Cala Millor experience could become a benchmark for other Mediterranean tourist destinations facing similar challenges.”

The LIFE AdaptCalaMillor project, co-financed by the European Union’s LIFE programme, aims to define an innovative, participatory and scientifically grounded long-term adaptation model for Cala Millor beach, with the intention of transferring it to other coastal environments in the Balearic Islands and across the Mediterranean arc.