The Government admits that the Marine Conservation Plan it presented in February is "a declaration of intentions"

PalmaThe Government's Marine Conservation Plan, which was supposed to position the Balearic Islands as an "international benchmark in marine environmental protection", as the Executive pointed out, was nothing more than "a declaration of intent", according to the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau. The plan was born without any budgetary allocation and has not been made public, despite requests from parties such as the PSIB, which has repeatedly requested it without the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, led by Joan Simonet, facilitating access to the document. The Government, conservation organizations and representatives of the fishing sector signed the plan on February 16 and little has been heard of it since President Marga Prohens presented it.

The Conservation Plan was devised following the Blue Balearic Pact that Marilles promoted, which brought together 150 companies and entities from the Balearic Islands and went no further than demanding brave measures and policies from political parties to conserve and restore the Balearic Sea. In this way, it has gone from demanding actions to a declaration of intent without a stable budget and consisting of four pages of a general nature with some specific measures. In fact, the introduction takes up a whole page and does not go beyond some clichés and generalities: "The sea surrounding the Balearic Islands is a fundamental element of the identity and idiosyncrasy of island society"; "the Balearic Sea (...) has lost vitality and resilience and, in particular, that capacity to enchant that the chronicles of a time speak of"; "Mediterranean fishing is not just the activity of people who catch fish at sea, but also the entire social, economic, commercial and cultural fabric behind it", are some examples.

Regarding specific measures, the aim is to increase the high protection area by 500 km

Regarding specific measures, the aim is to increase the high-protection surface area by 500 km² before 2027 (basically, with the expansion of protected areas in Cabrera) and 600 km² before 2033, in addition to demanding that the Spanish government expand protection in waters under its jurisdiction. It also proposes a plan to conserve elasmobranchs, a subclass of fish that includes sharks, rays, and skates, and another to conserve bays. The first should be developed before the end of 2026 and the second, before the end of 2027. Furthermore, these plans should be debated within expert groups that the Ministry has the duty to create. Another measure is to launch a biodiversity monitoring program in four protected marine areas, with a pilot test to be carried out before the end of 2027. Another pending plan will be the one to manage bottom trawling.

Additionally, in the first quarter of 2026, a list of indicators and data with annual updates should have been published, although the implementation of a system to access this information has no deadline.

The plan has not been made public

Although it was presented more than three months ago, the Government has not made public the Marine Conservation Plan, despite entities requesting that it be made available to the public, according to sources from the entities, who are also concerned that the lack of budget will leave the measures ineffectual. Furthermore, the document's deadlines extend beyond this legislature, and there is no guarantee that the initiatives will be carried out in the next legislature.

The PSIB has repeatedly requested information about the Marine Conservation Plan, as well as the document signed by the Government and the entities. The socialists have submitted written questions, many of which the Ministry has not answered. In other cases, the information provided by the Ministry is entirely insufficient. Regarding the execution schedule approved by the Government to implement the plan's actions, with milestones and deadlines, Simonet replies that they are "those foreseen in the Marine Conservation Plan itself" which has not been sent to the PSIB. As for the participation mechanisms for designating protected areas, the Ministry states that it will be done "through the existing co-management bodies" and nothing more. Regarding the steps to launch the habitat monitoring program, the response is that they will be "the usual ones with the participation and consensus of the involved sectors." Concerning the research centers, universities, and scientific entities involved in the design and execution of the plan's monitoring program, the Ministry only mentions the University-Business Foundation of the Balearic Islands. To the question about the ecological, economic, and social indicators that will be used to assess the conservation status of the marine environment and the effectiveness of the adopted measures, the Ministry responds that "they are the same ones that are usually used."

Furthermore, the Ministry makes it clear in other responses that there is still much work to be done. When asked if there is any mechanism for monitoring the plan, it acknowledges that there is no body responsible for it, and that it has not yet decided which protected areas will be used for the pilot test of economic, ecological, and social monitoring. Nor is there any monitoring report on the state of the marine environment, nor has "any specific technical document for the conservation of priority marine species and habitats" been approved, as stated in the written response. The list of indicators and data on the marine environment is also pending elaboration.

"We have requested the official plan, signed by the entities, and we have not received it. We have asked questions and the answers have been very generic", points out the PSIB deputy Pilar Carbonero, who asked Simonet about these issues in the territorial planning commission on Wednesday in Parliament. "Without a fixed calendar or assigned budget, it's starting to smell like headlines and propaganda", she adds.

On behalf of the Government, the Director General of Fisheries, Antoni M. Grau, assures that the plan is "99% feasible". "There are many things that do not require an extraordinary budget", such as the expansion of protected areas. "The important thing about the plan is to show the Government's will regarding marine conservation", he remarks, adding that it will be explained annually what has been done to the entities that signed it.