World Oceans Day is celebrated on June 8, a date proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) in 2008 with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of the ocean for life on Earth, as well as promoting its conservation and sustainable use. This 2025, under the slogan “Ocean wonders: sustaining what sustains us”, we are invited to reflect on our deep connection with the ocean, its essential role for the planet and the urgency of protecting it to guarantee our common future.

The ocean covers more than 70% of the planet’s surface and is responsible for producing at least 50% of the oxygen we breathe. It is home to most of the marine biodiversity, absorbs about 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities and is a direct source of food, resources and employment for millions of people. The UN estimates that more than 1 billion people depend on the ocean as their main source of protein, and that 40 million jobs will be linked to its sustainable exploitation by 2030.

However, despite the essential services it provides, the ocean is in a critical situation. Overexploitation, climate change, pollution and habitat degradation are endangering its ecological balance. Today, 90% of the populations of large fish species are depleted, and 50% of coral reefs have been destroyed. Faced with this situation, World Oceans Day reminds us of the need to act to reverse this situation, restore the health of marine ecosystems and guarantee their vitality for future generations.

As part of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and coinciding this year with the celebration of the Ocean Conference, this day represents an opportunity to promote responsible decisions, inspired by knowledge, wisdom and collaboration between sectors.

COMMITMENT TO OCEAN CONSERVATION

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) works to protect and restore the ocean through different initiatives and projects that contribute to generating knowledge about the marine environment, improving its management, conserving species and habitats and promoting a more sustainable blue economy.

Spain has achieved 21% of marine protected area and continues to make progress towards meeting international commitments to reach 30% by 2030. LIFE INTEMARES, which is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation, contributes to this goal through the improvement of scientific knowledge and the implementation of participatory processes for the preparation of management plans for the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network under the competence of MITECO and the declaration of new protected areas.

Along these lines, this year a public hearing and information process has been opened, completed in March, on the future regulation by which the proposal for the inclusion of five marine protected areas in the list of Sites of Community Importance (SCI) of the Natura 2000 Network and the declaration of a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) will be approved. These spaces are the Capbretón Tributary Canyon System; Seamounts and pockmark field of Seco de Palos; Banks and Gorges of the Alboran Sea; as well as the SCI and SPA Marine Space of the Catalan Central Coast.

The training also allows us to move towards more inclusive models in the management of marine protected areas. The Biodiversity Foundation has started a battery of training actions aimed at managers and users of the sea. It is expected to be able to train around 1,000 people by June 2026 through LIFE INTEMARES and the contribution of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed with NextGeneration-EU funds.

Training activities for socio-economic sectors have also been reinforced during the navigation campaign of the LIFE A-MAR project, which has mobilised some 700 people through guided tours of protected marine areas, information sessions and workshops to raise awareness of the importance of the marine Natura 2000 Network in the Mediterranean.

In addition, thanks to the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEMPA), the Foundation contributes to the protection of the ocean by supporting scientific projects that support the fisheries and aquaculture sector in its commitment to sustainability. Currently, 43 initiatives are being implemented that work to improve the knowledge, conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems, with a special focus on the marine Natura 2000 Network. Historically, 178 projects have been supported, where more than 70 entities have been involved, for which more than 38 million euros have been allocated.

On the other hand, within the framework of the Empleaverde+ Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund+ (ESF+), the Foundation supports training and recruitment projects to promote the ecological transition from the blue economy, among other sectors.

Within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, the Biodiversity Foundation has promoted various actions aimed at improving the assistance and rescue of stranded marine animals thanks to the 2021 call for grants to strengthen stranding networks. Through these initiatives, it has been possible to pay adequate attention to different species of turtles, cetaceans and other marine mammals located in coastal regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Cantabria or Galicia for their recovery and subsequent release, as well as their maintenance in suitable centres to ensure their survival.

Likewise, in the field of marine conservation, the CETAMED NORTE project stands out, beneficiary of the 2021 call for grants to promote research on biodiversity, which carries out aerial and maritime campaigns to sample marine fauna in the northern area of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor with the aim of expanding knowledge about the populations that inhabit or migrate through this area.

Thanks to these actions and the joint work with the scientific community, public administrations, the fishing sector and civil society, we are moving towards a more sustainable management of the marine environment. World Oceans Day is an opportunity to make this collective work visible and reinforce our commitment to the conservation of the seas.