The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, supports the development of more than 60 initiatives that promote the conservation of the marine environment. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, supports the development of more than 60 initiatives that promote the conservation of the marine environment and the implementation of economic activities that contribute to the protection of ecosystems and species that inhabit them, within the framework of the Ministry’s decisive promotion in this legislature to the expansion of protected areas in the marine environment, placing Spain at the forefront of marine protection in Europe.
 
Among the actions of the 60 initiatives of the Biodiversity Foundation in this area is the protection of emblematic species such as the loggerhead turtle and the bottlenose dolphin; vulnerable habitats such as posidonia meadows and reefs, as well as working with fishermen and scientists to join forces in the conservation of the marine environment.
 
To this end, it supports entities that develop these projects and also directly coordinates some initiatives, such as the LIFE+INDEMARES project “Inventory and designation of the Natura 2000 Network in marine areas of the Spanish State”.
 
This project joins the push being carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment to increase the protection of the marine environment. Thus, recently, the Ministry declared 39 Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs) and four new Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) have been proposed in the Natura 2000 Network, constituting a fundamental advance for its development.
 
In addition, the Ministry has recently submitted to public consultation the proposal for Marine Strategy Monitoring Programmes, which aim to encompass all those actions aimed at collecting data on the environmental status of the marine environment for the five Spanish marine demarcations (North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Strait and Alboran, Levantine-Balearic and Canary Islands).
 
For its part, the Biodiversity Foundation coordinates the cross-border initiative ENPI CNC MED “Conservation of ecosystems and sustainable artisanal fisheries in the Mediterranean basin” –ECOSAFIMED- in which Spain, Italy and Tunisia participate. During the month of August, various oceanographic campaigns are being carried out to study the seabed in artisanal fishing areas.
 

Conservation of birds, cetaceans and turtles

The protection of endangered species is one of the main objectives of the initiatives developed in the marine environment. This is the case of the project “Canary Islands with the Sea: conservation of cetaceans and seabirds in the Canary Islands“, developed by the Cetacean Research Group. This initiative focuses on problems that require immediate action for the conservation of the bottlenose dolphin, the sperm whale and the lesser shearwater in the islands of the Archipelago.
 
In this line, the project “CETASUR = Cetaceans in the South of the Spanish Mediterranean“, executed by CIRCE, for the conservation of cetaceans in the Alboran Sea, is also framed.
 
The conservation of turtles in the Canary Islands is also the focus of various initiatives that receive the support of the Biodiversity Foundation. The project “The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Natura 2000 network in the Canary Islands“, promoted by the Sustainable Development Association, deepens the knowledge of this species and identifies its main threats.
 
Alnitak is also developing a project for the conservation of sea turtles in the southwestern basin of the Mediterranean Sea and in particular the Natura Network areas of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Balearic Islands, the Region of Murcia and the Island of Alborán, which constitute an important migration corridor for the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).
 
Seabird conservation is also the focus of various initiatives. The University of Barcelona is developing the project “Reduction of accidental catches of seabirds in artisanal longliners in eastern Spain“. Other actions are aimed at the recovery of natural habitats such as the Mar Menor. The project “Actions for the conservation and recovery of habitats and unique species of the Mar Menor and its surroundings“, executed by ANSE, seeks to develop a set of actions aimed at the conservation and recovery of natural habitats of interest on the shores of the Mar Menor, the largest Spanish coastal lagoon.
 

Employment and the marine environment

Through the Empleaverde Programme, the Ministry is also committed to those initiatives that promote employment and the development of new economic activities in the marine environment. Within this framework, a dozen projects are being implemented that seek to improve the quality of employment in the field of active coastal salt flats, the awareness of workers in the fishing sector in their interaction with the marine environment, sustainable tourism and the generation of green employment in the nautical sector. among others.
The marine environment is also a source of generation of competitive companies and entrepreneurial initiatives. Among the companies awarded in the first edition of the Red emprendeverde awards is Arom Bait, dedicated to the development of baits that use natural and biodegradable materials specific to each species and fisheries. For its part, KAI Marine Services advises companies and public entities on the sustainable use of marine resources.

Photo: Loggerhead turtle. Oceana/ Carlos Minguell