The LIFE+ INDEMARES project has revealed that the Alborán marine area is home to more than 50 endangered species in its waters, and that it is home to just over a quarter of the total diversity of species in the Mediterranean.
 
The Alboran Sea, as a transitional prelude between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the most valuable marine regions for the conservation of marine biodiversity in Europe. Proof of this is that up to 1,645 species have been identified and 10 new species have been describedfor science. These funds also play an important role as breeding and breeding areas for many species, including some of commercial interest.
 
Many of the species found in Alboran are rare or uncommon in the Mediterranean, and appear relatively frequently in this area. Among them are the gorgonian Ellisella paraplexauroides, a large species considered to be very rare, more common on the coasts of northwest Africa.
 
Likewise, the deep biogenic gravel habitat at the edge of the platform, scarcely represented in the Mediterranean and little known until now, has turned out to be extremely valuable because most of the species have been identified on these bottoms. In addition, a community of laminarial algae has been detected, unique and almost unique in the Mediterranean, as well as “maerl” bottoms with a particularly large extension.
 
On the other hand, this marine space stands out as a migration corridor and feeding habitat of special interest for eight species of cetaceans and two species of sea turtles, for which the seas of Spain constitute a fundamental link in their life cycle, as is the case of the loggerhead turtle.
 
The set of communities and species existing on the Alboran island shelf make this area a biodiversity hotspot. In addition to its high diversity, the area has other characteristics that fully justify its conservation, its uniqueness, the existence of threatened, endemic, restricted distribution, rare, of special scientific interest, or vulnerable to human impact, the presence of species essential for the maintenance of communities or the ecosystem. Finally, its state of conservation can be considered very good. The Alborán platform therefore meets the criteria of biogeographical representativeness, presence of threatened species or habitats and well-conserved natural areas established in the INDEMARES project, so thanks to the results of the project, the area previously protected as a Site of Community Importance of the Natura 2000 Network has been extended by 10,000 hectares.