The Balearic Government wants to increase the area of high protection in the Balearic Sea tenfold by 2027.

PalmThe Government has committed to increasing tenfold the area of ​​high protection in waters under its regional jurisdiction, reaching 500 square kilometers by 2027 and 600 by 2030. This is one of the commitments established in the Balearic Islands Marine Conservation Plan, which aims to reverse the loss of marine biodiversity. Balearic SeaThus, the initiative will implement "concrete measures including protection, surveillance, fisheries management, and scientific monitoring," according to the President of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens. She also emphasized that the Plan "stems from dialogue and shared responsibility" and stressed that "the conservation of the sea will only be possible if it is achieved through consensus and with the participation of all relevant sectors."

To further increase marine protection, the Balearic Government will ask the Spanish government to create a network of strictly protected areas in its external waters "with the goal of reaching 1,500 square kilometers of protected areas by 2028 and 3,000 by 2030," she said. Along the same lines, plans are also underway to promote new marine reserves in external waters, such as the Baix Fondo and Sóller reserves. To ensure that "protection is real and effective, the Government will strengthen the monitoring of protected marine areas with more human, financial, material, and technological resources," Prohens added. To make this commitment effective, the government team will propose to Parliament the incorporation "by law of new infractions to increase penalties and expedite procedures," the president announced. The Plan also includes the approval of conservation projects for habitats and vulnerable species, such as the initiative that has already been approved and seeks to protect sharks and their pods. One of the conservation plans the Executive intends to implement is related to the restoration of shallow bays – inlets of shallow water. Furthermore, the Government wants to create a group of experts and launch a comprehensive scientific monitoring program for marine biodiversity and fisheries by 2027 with the aim of "having solid data to improve the management of resources and marine protected areas," Prohens explained. The data will be published annually and will have an "easy and automatic" access system, she promised.