The main characteristic of the Minorcan natural environment is the environmental diversity that exists in just 700 square kilometres. The island offers the possibility of coming across habitats that represent nearly all the Mediterranean. The most notable habitats are the gullies, the caves, the wetlands made up of ponds, lagoons and marshes, dune systems, the coasts and the islets.

The gullies in the south of the island
One of the most important landscape and geomorphic aspects of the migjorn zone is the number of gullies that cross it in the direction of the coastline, following a winding route. These gullies offer spectacular landscapes and have a concentration of an abundant and varied flora and fauna, with 220 species, 26 of which are endemic.

There are a total of 35 to 40 gullies, although only about a dozen are longer than 3 kilometres. The origin of these formations goes back to the confluence of three processes: the excavatory action of the flowing water, the tectonic movements and the variations of the level of the Mediterranean sea.

Also important are the nesting sites of aquatic birds and birds of prey who nest close to small permanent or seasonal water sources.

The caves
Minorca has some fifty natural land caves and some ten underwater caves, situated in the north and south of the island.

Their formation was due to rainwater filtration of calcareous land. They are especially interesting because, in many cases, above all in caves with sea water that are not openly connected to the sea, there are species of animals not found in any other environments.

The wetlands
The ponds, marshes and lagoons are spread out throughout the island and have different flora and fauna. Among the coastal wetlands, there is the nature reserve of albufera de Es Grau (this has walking routes due to its great natural wealth), Addaia, Son Saura and Son Bou. Eight dune systems are associated with these wetlands. These are, on the north coast, the albufera de Es Grau, Son Saura, Tirant, Cavalleria, Pregonda, cala Pilar and La Vall, and on the south coast, Son Bou.

In some of the above, the sand cordons that form next to the coast can penetrate up to two kilometres inland.

One of the main attractions of the Minorcan coast is its high level of conservation, including prolific vegetation of endemic species that are to be found in greater measure in the northern area.

There are various classes of thorny shrubs, known as socarrells as well as Mediterranean shrubs. With regard to the fauna that colonizes the coast, there are marine birds, such as the Cory's shearwaters, cormorants, seagulls as well as various birds of prey.

The islets
There are various islets spread out over the Minorcan coastline. They all enjoy a high level of environmental preservation, mainly due to the lack of human settlement. The fact that the environment of these islets has not changed very mush has resulted in them being a refuge for some very important species such as the wall lizard (Podarcis lilfordii) that used to live on the main island but to-day is only found on the coastal islets. Other inhabitants of these islets are the important community of rabbits and goats that were introduced by man.

These islets are also favourable areas for important colonies of marine birds. Especially notable is the presence of colonies of shearwaters on the isla del Aire and Audouin gulls on the dels Porros island.

The largest island on the coast of Minorca, of almost 60 hectares, is the island den Colom. This is situated in front of the des Grau beach, within the limits of the Nature Reserve. Another important islet is the island of del Aire, of 34 hectares, in which a lighthouse has been built.

Dune systems
There are a total of eight well developed dune systems in Minorca, including that of the Albufera des Grau . Seven of these dune systems are located on the north coast( Es Grau, Son Saura, Tirant, Cavalleria, Pregonda, Cala Pilar and La Vall) and only one is located on the south coast (Son Bou). There are also various other smaller dune systems (Arenal d'en Castell, Binimel·là, Mongofre, etc.). These dune systems are exceptional in the Balearics and in a large part of the western Mediterranean, due to the fact that they are longitudinal cordons that are parallel to the dominant wind direction and independent of the orientation of the coastline, with the exception of Son Bou

As far as vegetation present in these dune systems, the following stand out: the sea lilies(Pancratium maritimum), the marine thistle (Eryngium maritimum) and the spurge (Euphorbia paralias) . All these have a great capacity of retention that generates the first stable dune relief. The most interior area of the dune system is home to woody vegetation. The first shrubs to install themselves are the sabine (Juniperus phoenices), the lentisk (Pistacia lentiscus) and the privet (Phillyrea latifolia).

Beaches
The coves and beaches along the low coast of the island of Minorca have clean and crystal clear waters that contrast with the white colour of the sand.

The colour of the water is due to the expanse of Posidonia oceanica (Neptune grass), that is known as seaweed. The existence of this plant, underwater as well as on the beach, forms accumulations of leaves on the shore and is considered as the best indicator of the good conservation condition of the beaches. It is also the clearest and unequivocal sign of the good state of the waters and quality of the coastline. The accumulation of leaves on the beach give the beaches stability and leaves behind sediments that come from under the sea.

The white colours of these beaches derive from thousands of calcareous remains of fauna that live in the expanse of Posidonia oceanica. The fragmentation of these calcareous organisms gives an excellent quality to our beaches with a smoothness and feel that is pleasant to the touch. The conservation of this expanse of Posidonia oceanica is the basis for the equilibrium of our coastline.

Coastal cliffs
The rocky coastline of Minorca is especially important, both from a landscape as well as a biological point of view, as it is home to a vegetation that is very rich in species exclusive to the region. Most notable are the shrub species that have a thorny pincushion form, or "socarrells". There are six different species of socarrells on the island that have adopted this shape in a process of evolutionary adaptation to the adverse environmental conditions. Hidden within the interior of socarrells, there are small and fragile plants that defend themselves from the wind and its salinity. Other plants house themselves leeward to the socarells, using them as a coat!

The rest of the Minorcan coastline is covered by dense and tall Mediterranean bushes, mainly in the area between Sa Punta Rotja and Ets Alocs, on the north-western coast. This is where the tallest cliffs of the Minorcan coastline are to be found. These areas also house important colonies of marine birds and birds of prey.

Interior vegetation
The non-agricultural vegetation landscape of the island occupies an expanse of 19,000 hectares. In Minorca there are three main types of arboreal vegetation: oak woods, pine woods and wild olive woods.

Oak woods are abundant only in the central part of the island and in a few gullies. These are dense and shady evergreen woods, dominated by the oak tree called Quercus ilex. These oak woods are characterized by the presence of shrub species such as the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), the buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus) and the privet (Phillyrea latifolia). Some oaks are characterized by the non-abundant presence of cyclamens.

The colony of wild olive trees, known on the island as ullastrars, appear in areas of shallow earth that is too dry for oaks. This wild olive tree is the vegetation that predominates in most of the island. The woods are low, dense and shady and they are especially rich in sub-wood vegetation. These colonies can be in the form of independent woods or woods integrated into the landscape, forming screens next to the dry stone walls. The interspersing of these colonies with cultivated fields results in the harmony of the Minorcan agricultural landscape and its attractive aesthetics. This interspersing is of a major ecological importance insofar as it brings into contact agricultural areas with areas of natural vegetation.

The Aleppo pine woods extend over large stretches of the centre and north east of the island. There exists a species of pine only found on the island, called Pinus ceciliae, of which only a few examples exist on the south coast of Migjorn Gran.