The Business Association of Diving Centres of the Balearic Islands (ACBIB) is an organisation that has been working for just over a year on providing visibility and a voice to the diving sector in all our islands. We talk to its president, Carolina Molina Domínguez.
What is your professional background?
I have a degree in Biology and have also studied management and conservation of marine resources, protected areas and natural reserves, rescue and conservation of marine animals, and environmental impact assessment. I have devoted my career – and still am – to participating in marine conservation projects and environmental education. I’m also a diving instructor.
Is diving good or bad for marine conservation?
Diving is an activity based on the observation of the environment and its inhabitants, and therefore does not affect the marine environment negatively.
What does affect it negatively is the irresponsibility of some people, and bad practices. And this can be avoided with good training in a diving centre, where priority is given not only to security but also to raising awareness of the preservation of the marine environment, teaching respectful techniques and correcting bad habits.
And I would dare to add that diving is good for conservation, because it shows us the reality of the seas and makes us more aware of the urgent need to protect them.
What part does diving play in the Balearic economic recovery?
Diving is an economic activity directed towards sustainable tourism, which is indispensable in our islands.
Was the saturation experienced in 2019 also suffered underwater?
No, it wasn’t. As this is an activity that normally requires at least an initial training course, and usually needs the presence of a guide who knows the area, as well as a boat ... overcrowding is somewhat prevented.
Where does your bond with the sea stem from?
Being born on an island is enough to create that bond. But it must have become stronger by growing up in one of the untouched areas of Mallorca, with beautiful sandy beaches... When I was tiny, my father would take me into the sea: he would put both hands on the water’s surface, palms up, and place me on them, tummy up, so that I could experience the feeling of floating. I think I learned to swim before I could walk.
Are you currently involved in any conservation projects?
I’m involved in various projects, but I’d like to take the opportunity to mention one in particular that needs promoting. It’s a citizens’ initiative – a movement for a petition to reach the European Parliament and be taken into account by the legislative bodies – that aims to put an end to the trade of shark fins in Europe. For that to happen, we need at least a million signatures.
Spain is one of the main countries that export fins to the Asian market, and most people are unaware of this. For more information and to join the movement, you can visit this website: www.stop-finning-eu.org/es/
Quick test for sea lovers
A book: Only one? The Fifth Day, by Frank Schätzing; and Endurance, by Alfred Lansing.
An image: The crystal-clear sea with different shades of blue, seen through the branches of a pine forest.
A marine species: If it has to be from our sea, one from the plant kingdom would be the Posidonia oceanica; from the animal kingdom I’d choose the sperm whale.
A benchmark organisation or person: Just one? Every single person whose passion is the conservation of nature and its promotion, and who has been able to transmit that to others.
A beach: Shhh!
A sentence that defines you: It doesn’t matter what situation you’re dealing with – it will all depend on our attitude towards it, and we can learn something from every one of them, good and bad.
Are you an optimist, a realist or a pessimist? A realist.
