The arrival of European funds to stimulate the economy and confront climate challenges and biodiversity loss is just around the corner. How we invest these funds in the next few years will mark the difference between returning to “business as usual” – with the vulnerability that this would imply– or starting to seriously transform our economy in order to make it more resilient to the fast-approaching triple threat: financial, ecological and social.
The conservation of the Balearic Sea is crucial for long-term, solid financial recovery, to reduce the effects of climate change and strengthen two industries that are essential to the islands: tourism and fishing. The Balearic Islands need to seize the opportunity of becoming leaders in both tourism and sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean, by investing in three key axes. Firstly, in a network of marine protected areas and conservation programmes for emblematic species such as sperm whales, rays and angel sharks. Secondly, by offering high quality, sustainable fishing products of commercial value to guarantee the future of the Balearic fleet. And thirdly, by de-plastifying and putting an end to wastewater spillage eventsonce and for all, so we can truly improve the quality of our waters. Projects along these lines will allow the Balearic Islands to stand out amongst other tourist destinations and sharpen their competitive edge. We can emerge from this crisis by improving the state of the Balearic Sea and we hope that the projects that are currently being drafted to apply to EU fundinggo firmly and decisively in this direction.
