The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has designed nine eco-friendly mooring projects in Mallorca and Ibiza with the aim of protecting the Posidonia seagrass meadows along the Balearic coast. This was done through a royal decree, approved this Friday by the Council of Ministers and published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) last week, which establishes the foundations for Posidonia protection through a common legal framework to promote its conservation and restoration. According to the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands, this measure represents a new impetus for the implementation of low-impact mooring systems, considered one of the most effective measures for reconciling recreational use of the coastline with the conservation of ecosystems. The Balearic Government has thus developed nine eco-friendly mooring projects in different areas of the Balearic coast to reduce the impact on Posidonia. These are mooring systems specifically designed to prevent the drag caused by boat anchors on the seabed, which sometimes uproots Posidonia seagrass meadows. They will be located in areas with the highest concentration of recreational boats and where, therefore, greater pressure on the meadows has been identified. Of the nine projects, two are located in Mallorca (Portocolom and Portals Vells) and the remaining seven in Ibiza (Benirràs, Cala Bassa, Cala Salada, Cala Vedella, El Xarco, Portinatx, and Talamanca). The Ministry has already made the nine projects available to the Balearic Government so that it can carry out the works for the subsequent commissioning, maintenance, and management of the facilities. Posidonia seagrass meadows constitute one of the most valuable ecosystems in the Mediterranean due to their role in conserving biodiversity, improving water quality, and protecting the coastline from erosion. Furthermore, it is a habitat considered a priority by the European Union.

Ninety-three percent of the Posidonia seagrass specimens planted in Pollença Bay since 2018 have survived, which experts consider a significant success for this type of regenerative practice. The project, promoted by Redeia and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA-CSIC), has consisted of the "active restoration of Posidonia oceanica in the Bay of Pollença,” as spokespeople from both institutions explained this morning in Esporles. According to the project's final report, the survival rate of the transplanted specimens confirms the initiative's strength and effectiveness.

Eduardo Maynau, delegate of Electrical Grid In the Balearic Islands, it was argued this Wednesday that the entry point of the second electrical cable connecting to the Peninsula via La Herradura is "undoubtedly the option with the least environmental impact on the Posidonia oceanica habitat," considered to be of European Community interest. According to the Red Eléctrica delegation in the Balearic Islands, all submarine electrical connection projects include "very detailed studies carried out by an independent third party" on geophysics, geotechnics, bathymetry, fishing, navigation, and seabed characterization before proposing any landing.

The Government and the Alcúdia City Council met with residents affected by the new route of the high-voltage cable, who were grouped together under the Association for a New Agreement for the Alcúdia Cable (ANACA). There were some tense moments during the meeting. Before the meeting, residents gathered to demand that the power cable be relocated through the Bay of Alcúdia, arguing that this reduces the impact on the area and reduces the health of residents. The City Council and the regional government explained that a period is now open for everyone to submit objections.

Environmental officers have issued 406 reports for anchoring on posidonia since 2020, according to data from the Directorate General of Natural Environment and Forest Management. 2021, with 85 cases documented by officers, was the year with the highest number of interventions, while 2024, with 50, was the year with the lowest activity.

Posidonia is still losing ground, despite growing awareness of the importance of its conservation, private and public actions in its defense, and specific regulations that have been in place for the past seven years. The data confirm that the rate of its destruction has slowed considerably, but, unfortunately, they also show that "we still cannot speak of surface area recovery in absolute terms," laments Núria Marbà, research professor at Imedea (CSIC-UIB) and a specialist in this plant that is essential to the ecosystem.

The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment has issued seven administrative orders for anchoring over oceanic posidonia meadows in the Bay of Talamanca, Ibiza. According to the Government, this operation is the largest carried out to date to combat illegal anchoring and inspect unauthorized nautical charter activity.

The restoration initiative for Posidonia oceanica in the port of Fornells, promoted by the Balearic Islands Government through Ports IB, is achieving very positive results. Recent scientific monitoring has confirmed a survival rate of over 99% for the planted fragments, consolidating the initial success of this environmental restoration measure.