Mallorca public path closures intensify due to urban development

Onofre Rullan, a Geography professor at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), has highlighted the increasing issue of private owners closing public paths in Mallorca. Rullan noted that this problem has intensified over the last 20 years due to the conversion of rural buildings into hotels and residences, which applies an urban logic to rustic environments where the distinction between public and private space is often blurred.

While municipal catalogs of public paths exist, Rullan suggests that most town councils fail to actively defend these paths as collective heritage. In cases of conflict, he notes that civil legal routes are often more practical than administrative ones, provided there is documentation of public ownership. Other alternatives include expropriation under the Law of Paths (Llei de Camins) or negotiating agreements with owners for public access.