Thank you, Kike

At the end of November, Kike Ballesteros left us. With his death, we lose one of the figures who did the most for the research, dissemination, and conservation of the Balearic and Mediterranean Seas. With his death a unique and singular person disappears; an enthusiast of nature in all its dimensions.  

Kike’s enthusiasm took him from the depths of the sea to the high mountain lakes; from the largest coral reef in the world in the Solomon Islands, to the marine forests that shelter the shallow bays of the Balearic Islands. His unique eye made his stories of species little known to the general public thrill with emotion. His work inspired thousands of people and his humanity and generosity touched the hearts of so many others. He leaves behind friends from all over the world. Many of them, including many fishers, are from these islands.

As a mentor, Kike was fundamental to the work we do at Marilles. Always generous with his time, we had his collaboration from the very first moment and until his last days. We feel privileged to have been able to help convey even a fraction of his wisdom and knowledge to the general public in the Balearic Islands.

Ten years ago, when we were in the process of laying the basis of Marilles Foundation, everyone pointed in the same direction: ‘You have to talk to Kike Ballesteros.’ And they were right. In an hour of entertaining and pedagogical conversation, he outlined the guidelines, priorities, and challenges to be faced if we wanted to conserve the Balearic Sea. He also left us one of the sentences that we have repeated the most over the last few years: ‘The Balearic Sea, despite being under heavy pressure, is still one of the best preserved regions in the Mediterranean.’ Or this one: ‘In the Balearic Islands we still find sea beds that show us what the Iberian mainland was like a hundred years ago.’ Content, context, and perspective: Kike gave Marilles these essential ingredients to help us take our first steps; he inspired many of the projects we have funded, with special mention to Menorca and Dr Marta Sales.  

He leaves his mark on the mini-guides and posters on the marine fauna and flora of the Balearic Sea produced in collaboration with the great illustrator and friend Toni Llobet – his is the drawing that illustrates this article – and the Balearic Natural History Society. We also have his testimony recorded in Arxipèlag Blau, where he talks about the great predators that the Balearic Sea has lost, the serious impacts of invasive algae and, above all, the need to protect the shallow bays, areas of great fragility that have suffered severe degradation in the Balearic Islands.  

As a result of his masterly talk in Mallorca, he gave us a very valuable document in which he identified the priority areas to be protected in the Balearic Sea. A work in which he condensed part of the immense knowledge of the Balearic seabed that he had accumulated over decades. And I say that he gave it to us because he did not want to charge a single cent. Kike considered it his duty as a scientist to contribute to the public interest.  

Kike, your departure leaves a great void, but also a solid legacy. You can be sure that we at Marilles Foundation will continue to work hard to preserve the sea that you loved so much.  

Aniol Esteban - Director

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