The Balearic Government is preparing a new publicly owned foundation to take over management of the islands' wildlife recovery service from January 1, 2027, following the end of the current agreement with Fundación Natura Parc.

The change is intended to maintain the service and its specialist workforce while moving its management into a new public structure.

New Management Model From January 2027

The current collaboration agreement between the Balearic Government and Fundación Natura Parc remains in force until December 31, 2026.

From January 1, 2027, the Govern plans to operate the wildlife recovery service through a new public foundation.

The Government says the change concerns the management model rather than the continuation of the service itself.

Current Professionals to Continue

One of the main issues surrounding the transition has been the future of the professionals currently working through Fundación Natura Parc.

The Govern says those employees who currently provide services to COFIB will be subrogated to the new public foundation from January 1.

According to the regional government, this will preserve the specialist knowledge and experience accumulated by the team over more than two decades.

No Planned Interruption to the Service

The Govern says the transition will take place without interruption to wildlife recovery services.

Temporary facilities will be made available from January 1 to ensure the service remains operational while the new public structure is established.

The administration has described continuity of emergency response, animal care and conservation work as a central objective of the transition.

COFIB's Role

The Consorci per a la Recuperació de la Fauna de les Illes Balears, known as COFIB, was established in 2004.

It is a public consortium created by the Balearic Government and Fundación Natura Parc and is responsible for activities including the recovery of injured wildlife, veterinary care, conservation programmes, the management of exotic animals and work involving invasive species.

The service has operated across the four Balearic Islands for years, with wildlife-recovery activities in Ibiza and Formentera incorporated into the wider island-wide system.

More Than 7,600 Animals Treated in 2025

The latest official figures illustrate the scale of the service.

During 2025, the Balearic wildlife recovery centres treated 7,637 animals.

Mallorca accounted for 5,605 cases, followed by Menorca with 1,473, Ibiza with 547 and Formentera with 12.

Almost 47% of the animals treated across the archipelago were rehabilitated and subsequently released back into the wild.

Different Species Require Specialist Care

The centres deal with a wide range of wildlife.

In 2025, the most numerous species receiving treatment included Mediterranean tortoises, common swifts and Algerian hedgehogs.

The service also treated protected and threatened species, including Bonelli's eagles, red kites, Balearic shearwaters, Audouin's gulls, ospreys, black vultures, European shags and spur-thighed tortoises.

The work includes rehabilitation as well as monitoring and conservation support for threatened species.

Work Extends Beyond Injured Animals

Wildlife recovery is only one part of COFIB's work.

Its responsibilities also include environmental education, research, captive breeding programmes for threatened species and support for conservation plans.

The organisation is also involved in monitoring and controlling invasive species.

In Ibiza and Formentera, this includes work connected with invasive snakes and the protection of native island fauna.

A Service With More Than 20 Years of Experience

COFIB celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024.

At that point, official figures showed that around 80,000 animals had passed through its facilities since its creation, including approximately 70,000 wild animals and 10,000 exotic animals.

Nearly 27,000 wild animals had been successfully returned to the natural environment during the organisation's first two decades.

Around 40,000 schoolchildren had also participated in educational activities connected with the service.

New Public Centres Planned

The Govern says the new management model will eventually be supported by permanent public wildlife-recovery centres on each of the four main islands.

According to the administration, work is already under way to develop these facilities, with construction expected to begin during 2027.

The permanent centres are intended to replace the temporary arrangements used during the initial transition and provide infrastructure designed specifically around the needs of the wildlife-recovery service.

Why the Management Is Changing

The decision follows negotiations between the Govern and Fundación Natura Parc over the continuation of their existing agreement.

The administration says that, after several months of discussions, it was not possible to reach an arrangement that it considered financially sustainable and compatible with the applicable legal framework.

The Govern subsequently decided to move towards a fully public management structure.

Protecting Specialist Knowledge

The Government has stressed that retaining the existing workforce is an important part of the transition.

The specialists currently involved in the service have accumulated experience in veterinary treatment, rehabilitation, wildlife management, conservation and invasive-species control.

The administration says transferring these professionals to the new foundation will help preserve that expertise while the new organisational model is established.

Importance for Ibiza

The change also directly affects Ibiza and Formentera.

The latest official figures show that 547 wild animals were treated through the Ibiza service in 2025, while a further 12 were recorded in Formentera.

The service provides a point of contact for members of the public who find injured or vulnerable wild animals and also supports conservation programmes involving species native to the Pitiusas.

Transition During 2027

The first months of 2027 will therefore involve both the continuation of day-to-day wildlife recovery and the development of the new public structure.

The Govern says temporary facilities will ensure that the service remains operational while permanent centres are planned and developed.

The current agreement with Fundación Natura Parc, meanwhile, remains in force until the end of 2026.

A New Public Structure for Wildlife Recovery

The Balearic Government's planned foundation represents a change in how the wildlife recovery service will be managed.

The existing service will continue into 2027, with the Govern saying that the current specialist professionals will move into the new public entity.

The longer-term plan is to establish permanent public recovery centres across the islands while continuing the work of rehabilitating injured wildlife, supporting threatened species and monitoring invasive animals.

For Ibiza and the wider Balearic Islands, the immediate objective is continuity as the service moves from the existing arrangement into the new public management model.