- The international organisation accredits its ecological, social and cultural value, as well as the comprehensive response from public institutions and the articulation of a pioneering governance model through the Framework of Priority Actions of the Mar Menor (MAPMM), promoted by the Government of Spain
- The designation was made public on Wednesday during the United Nations Ocean Conference. Other international projects of reference have been recognized, such as the channel of northern Mozambique or the islands of the Mexican archipelago
The Mar Menor has been officially recognised as one of the Flagship Initiatives on Ecosystem Restoration by the United Nations, within the framework of the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The designation was made public on Wednesday during the Ocean Conference, which takes place in Nice, and places the Mar Menor alongside other international reference projects such as the northern Mozambique channel, focused on the restoration of mangroves, forests and reefs with community participation, or the islands of the Mexican archipelago. where work is being done on the recovery of island ecosystems, the eradication of invasive species and the restoration of seabirds.
“For us it is an honor, a pride, and, above all, a responsibility to the environment and ecosystems. A work that has been a comprehensive response to a particularly degraded space, such as the Mar Menor lagoon, with maximum involvement on the part of the Government for that recovery, in addition to technical work, with a 100% dedicated office, with experts, with scientists, and the excellent work of our Commissioner for the Water Cycle and the Recovery of Ecosystems, Paca Baraza. The Government wants to share this special award with Murcian society. Personally, I will travel to Murcia to share it with them, because it is everyone’s award,” said the Vice-President of the Government and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, this morning in Nice.
EUROPEAN SYMBOL OF RESTORATION AND INSTITUTIONAL
COMMITMENTThe Mar Menor has been recognised for its ecological, social and cultural value, as well as for the comprehensive response from public institutions and the articulation of a pioneering governance model through the Framework of Priority Actions of the Mar Menor (MAPMM), promoted by the Government of Spain.
With a total investment of 675 million euros, the MAPMM is one of the most relevant initiatives of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. It represents a strategic commitment to large-scale ecological restoration, aimed at restoring the natural dynamics of the ecosystem and addressing its structural causes of degradation.
The plan is structured into 10 lines of action and 28 specific measures, among which the following stand out:
1. The creation of artificial wetlands and green belts to filter nutrients.
2. The restoration of degraded mining areas.
3. The promotion of agriculture compatible with the lagoon ecosystem.
4. Improving flood risk management.
5. The active conservation of biodiversity and the promotion of citizen and institutional participation.
The actions are deployed on more than 8,770 hectares and 450 million have already been activated.
A PROCESS WITH STRONG SOCIAL SUPPORT AND PIONEERING IN EUROPE
Citizen mobilization has also played an important role. More than half a million people promoted a Popular Legislative Initiative that culminated in the legal recognition of the Mar Menor as a subject of rights, making it the first European ecosystem with this consideration. This initiative, together with legal proceedings based on environmental and criminal liability regulations, has reinforced the defense of the ecosystem on multiple fronts.
A MODEL FOR GLOBAL RESTORATION
The recognition as a Flagship Initiative gives the Mar Menor high international visibility and priority access to technical tools and international financing opportunities, especially aimed at developing countries. In addition, it makes the Spanish case a transferable and inspiring model for other regions of the world that face similar challenges.
This milestone reinforces the commitment of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge to ambitious, sustained and science-based ecological restoration, aligned with the objectives of the Green Agenda.
