Last April, two representatives from the Italian association Natura Sicula, based in Syracuse (Sicily) and funded by the Erasmus+ program, traveled to Menorca with the ultimate goal of learning about the initiatives promoted by organizations on the island in the field of heritage conservation and environmental education.
To this end, the association contacted the Societat Històrico-Arqueològica Martí i Bella, promoting a successful exchange of experiences between the two organizations. During the meeting, they shared insights into the activities carried out by both organizations, as well as their approaches to environmental awareness and heritage outreach. The visit also allowed the Italian representatives to explore some of Menorca’s most iconic spaces, from a landscape and heritage perspective, as part of this direct engagement with the local context. Natura Sicula focuses on landscape protection in southeastern Sicily, it works to defend cultural and natural heritage, enhances ethno-anthropological heritage, and promotes responsible waste management through awareness campaigns, specialized publications, educational activities, excursions, and guided tours.
In this context, and with the collaboration of the Fundación José Mª de Olives y de Ponsich, Conde de Torre-saura, a visit was organized in Ses Truqueries farming estate. This place offered a perfect scenario to showcase on-site some of the dry-stone heritage restoration initiatives, in which the Societat Històrico-Arqueològica Martí i Bella has collaborated through the participation of the Gibet volunteer group, such as the restoration of the Barraca de sa Tanca d’Enmig and the Barraca des Comte.
The event also included a visit to Punta Nati area, designated a site of cultural interest in the category of ethnological site in the island, where the Menorcan association presented its efforts to protect the landscape in response to the Son Salomó photovoltaic park project.
This experience demonstrates that mutual understanding among organizations is not merely an opportunity but an essential necessity in a global context where environmental and heritage challenges are shared. In this regard, the collaboration between the Fundación José Mª de Olives y de Ponsich, Conde ode Torre-saura, serves as a clear example of the key role organizations can play in facilitating access to these spaces for encounter and learning. The direct exchange of ideas, methodologies, and experiences, reinforced by this support, becomes a powerful tool for strengthening local projects and projecting them beyond their local area, forging partnerships that transcend borders. Only through this active and ongoing collaboration it will be possible to move toward more sustainable models, rooted in the local area yet connected to a European and global vision of heritage and environmental preservation.
