Picture: Philip North.
In the Balearic Sea, we find more than 500 km² of Posidonia meadows and numerous shallow bays that host some of the Mediterranean’s most valuable habitats and provide shelter for the juveniles of many marine species. Unfortunately, many of these areas have suffered severe degradation due to human pressure.
Thanks to the support of the Aptenia Foundation and other donors, Marilles funds actions to protect, restore, and raise awareness of the shallow bays of the Balearic Islands. To ensure long-term impact, we are working with the Balearic government to approve an action plan to restore these key habitats and allocate the resources needed to make it possible.
With an annual budget of around €200,000, the project combines research, restoration, education, social participation, and policy advocacy, in collaboration with local NGOs, research centres, and economic stakeholders. The ultimate goal is to reverse biodiversity loss, increase the extent of meadows and structural algae, restore species such as seahorses, and reduce pressures such as anchoring and eutrophication.
