New Measures to Ensure the Protection of the Balearic Coastline

More surveillance, resources and monitoring for effective protected area management

What does it consist of?

The Balearic Government has reinforced its marine reserve programme with investment focused on boosting surveillance, acquiring more boats and bringing monitoring systems back to working order. The eight existing reserves cover more than 60,000 hectares, and their conservation requires stable, well-distributed resources.

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Data

PROJECT TITLE IN THE CALL
Balearic Islands marine reserves programme 2016
LOCATION
Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera
Entity submitting the PROJECT
Govern de les Illes Balears
Entity that executes the project
Direcció General de Pesca i Medi Marí
Project code
ITS2016-011
Total project amount
1.260.000 €
ITS granted amount
1.260.000 €
Executed amount
116.619 €
Call year
2016
Execution status
Executed
Purpose
Environment
Budget execution
Executed: 9.26%
Last data request
21.02.2020

The project

Marine reserves in the Balearic Islands account for 21% of the archipelago’s inshore waters, and serve as a key tool for habitat protection, the sustainable management of small-scale fishing, and marine biodiversity. Their reinforcement responds to growing social and scientific demand, but requires the right means to be effective.

The programme, approved in 2016, sought to address the lack of technical and human resources identified in recent years. The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food proposed three urgent measures: increasing the number of fishing wardens, upgrading the fleet of boats, and restoring the monitoring system to keep track of the use of and strain on these areas.

Expanding the workforce included the recruitment of six new officers: five assigned to Mallorca and one to Formentera. Meanwhile, upgrades to the fleet saw several old boats replaced, some of which had been in use since 2000 and for which spare parts were available. It was also seen as essential to reinstate systematic data collection to assess the impact of human activities on the environment.

This action has allowed a rethinking of the operational needs of marine reserves in the following years, setting priorities in a context of increasing environmental and tourism pressure on the coast.