PALMA
THE central government ministry for the Environment reported yesterday that even though visitor numbers have doubled over the past eleven years to the Balearics' land and maritime natural park of Cabrera, it remains the second least visited national park in the whole of the country.
Departmental sources confirmed that from the 39'265 people who made the trip from the southern Majorcan coast to the island of Cabrera in 1996, by the time 2007 came round, the headcount had soared to 76'541 - an increase of 94.9 percent over an 11-year period.
In spite of its rising popularity, only Cabañeros National Park on the mainland of Spain has less visitors per year than Cabrera. Francisco Grimalt, a delegate from the Official Balearic Land Management and Forestry Commission said however, that Cabrera's poor ratings in national terms are due to the fact that it is an island and is only accessible by organised day trip boats. Those who sail there privately need to ask permission in advance to anchor in the park's maritime territory. Accessibility limits visitor numbers, said Grimalt. The park can only take 200 to 300 people at any one time.
On a national basis, the natural parks across Spain were visited by 10'864'738 visitors in 2007, a 28.2 percent increase than the census taken in 1996. The most popular park in the country is Teide which took a headcount of 3'142'418 people last year, followed by the Picos de Europa with 1'774'955, and then by Timanfaya with 1'748'149.
Cabrera has featured in Balearic news recently with negotiations proceeding to hand the power for the management of the park from central government over to regional government. The Balearic Administration however, wants to make sure before it accepts full responsibility that sufficient funding will be available for maintenance.
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