<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - Marine conservation]]> 10 <![CDATA[The old sailor and nineteenth-century science]]> A few years ago, a friend from the Civil Guard Maritime Service gave me the Monk seal's field notebook, a beautiful book in a trilingual edition (Spanish, French, and Arabic) published by the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity and its Habitat (CBD-Habitat). The notebook takes us to the Cap Blanc peninsula, a small geographical feature that hangs on the map of Africa like a stalactite over the sea. Right there, in Mauritanian territory, there is a colony of monk seals (Monachus monachus) that hosts practically half of the population of this endangered species, about four hundred individuals.The book offers us some details about the history of the place and all the richness and diversity associated with it and includes a series of illustrations that show a couple of seals playing in the water and, on the cover, a pup sleeping with its mother. Have you ever seen seals or sea lions playing, sleeping in colonies, and interacting? The monk seal disappeared from the coasts of the western Mediterranean more than half a century ago. In the Balearic Islands, the last known specimen was shot dead in 1958 and, in Catalonia, the last documented sighting dates from 1973. Although, from time to time, some exploratory specimen visits these latitudes; some sightings have been confirmed in the Islands and a study based on the environmental DNA technique seems to reveal its sporadic presence. And also from time to time, experts, naturalists and nostalgic people dream of the possibility that the monk seal will return to our waters.And if it is not because of the species' own dispersion, it must be by force. The Generalitat de Catalunya has announced its intention to reactivate the reintroduction project for this emblematic seal starting in 2027, in collaboration with the Balearic Islands and with Cap de Creus and Cabrera as possible release points. The idea, basically, is to steal—yes, I believe that is the appropriate verb; it was either that or ‘kidnap’, take your pick—individuals from the Cap Blanc colony and move them to our coasts. All this under the pretext of reinforcing the species. But without forgetting that from this pharaonic plan, a great political profit would be obtained, given the symbolism of the monk seal, a seal that, let us remember, was massacred by fishermen and expelled from the coastline by tourism, cornered to breed in caves due to human pressure. Must we think that things have changed? Do you mean to say that we have not gone from bad to worse? Are we forgetting about mass tourism and overfishing? And must I remind you that this very year, dolphins and bluntnose sixgill sharks have appeared in the Balearic Islands murdered by fishermen (yes, ‘murder’ is the appropriate verb).They call it an experimental reintroduction, and a whole series of naturalists of more or less renown applaud the initiative… And the seals, who gives them a voice? Who represents them?We have a problem here and it is an outdated science that is still not capable of including in the core of the concept of conservation the respect for the individuals of the species it intends to conserve. Animals are objects for the experiments of unsatisfied gods (quoting, yet another article, Yuval Noah Harari). A seal specimen, for these experts anchored in the 19th century, is not an individual with a history, with a family, with its social relationships, its bonds, its culture, and its own life. It is only a unit of conservation that can be kidnapped, transported, and released where their technical plans consider convenient. And let's see what happens. Perhaps we have not advanced enough since those times of early naturalists who, any animal they saw on any trip, was an animal they killed for some laboratory or some collection, or put in a cage to take to the gardens of some monarch they wanted to please. Perhaps there is not so much difference between deciding to take some seals from a reserve, tearing them from their social core, and kidnapping an orca from the sea to lock it in an aquarium. It is the same human philosophy, only the pretext and the kidnapper vary.And of course I know that it would be great to see old sea creatures back on our coasts. Of course I know that the ecosystem would be healthier with these large predatory mammals at the top of the food chain. But we do not even have guarantees that those we relocate will be able to thrive and there are many questions for which naturalists have no answer. Among them, how many seals will they need to snatch from the group to guarantee a colony with sufficient genetic diversity? They call it an experiment for a reason; because they have no idea how it might work and the welfare of the animals does not matter.Nostalgics dream of the possibility that the monk seal returns to our waters, even if it is by force, but what do seals dream of?

]]> <![CDATA[Prohens announces program to protect the sea after reducing a marine reserve]]>

Marga Prohens announced on Monday the Balearic Islands Marine Conservation Plan, committing to increase tenfold the area of ​​high protection in waters under regional jurisdiction, reaching 500 square kilometers by 2027, specifically within Cabrera National Park, and up to 600 square kilometers by 2030. The president noted that before the reformulation promoted by the central government, the area was known as the Toro and Les Malgrats Island Marine Reserves. The government reduced the total area of ​​the reserve but increased the previously planned high protection zone. "We lost in quantity, but gained in quality," acknowledged sources involved in drafting the Plan. They also consider Prohens' intention "good," although they admit that "the government's general policy has been to reduce marine protection."

]]> <![CDATA[MOTHER: the Balearic Sea photography contest that "has more power than a catastrophic campaign"]]>

Almost six years ago, the Marilles Foundation recognized the importance of raising awareness about the conservation of the Balearic Sea through the visual arts and created MARE, an annual image and video competition whose main discipline is underwater digital photography, to inspire action for the Balearic Sea. The project coordinator, Amador Garcia, explains that art "has the power to stir consciences and touch hearts." He also believes that this positive initiative "has more impact than a catastrophic campaign that conveys a negative message." This year, MADRE celebrates its sixth edition with the MADRE25 Conference, "The Sea Moves Us," a space for meeting, inspiration, and action for the conservation of the Balearic Sea. This year, the project program has been expanded, and in addition to the awards ceremony taking place this Friday at 6:00 p.m. at the CaixaForum in Palma, other activities will be held throughout the weekend.

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