Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

The overall objective of this project is to make the conservation of a protected marine area associated with an island territory compatible with the development of the socio-economic activities that sustain it, in this case tourism and fishing being the economic activities that have a direct impact on that environment.

Specific objectives of project 1

1)Assessment of sensitive marine communities to improve their conservation
2)Establishment of indicators to monitor the state of conservation of the marine
environment 3)Raise awareness of the responsible use of and access to the marine
environment 4)Promote, show and transfer the experience acquired to society through social networks and the media

– Baseline study for the definition of vulnerable marine areas within the Natura 2000 Network
– Preparation of detailed bionomic mapping of Natura 2000 Network areas
– Monitoring of seabirds, for use as indicators of the conservation status of the marine environment
– Monitoring of seagrass meadows, for use as indicators of the state of conservation of the marine environment and the impacts that affect them
– Film series on the marine environment, to increase the general awareness of the population
– Publication of a document of good practices for sailors, to transmit respectful practices with the activities carried out at sea
– Conducting school workshops on marine issues
– Marine environment informants on beaches (for residents and visitors)
– Cycle of conferences and round tables on marine ecosystem management
– Dissemination actions of the project (press, website, social networks, conferences)

1 )Baseline study for the definition of vulnerable marine areas within the Natura 2000 Network This activity aims to know the existing threats and factors that affect some of the Natura 2000 Network marine areas of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve in order to determine their degree of vulnerability. The work will focus on two Natura 2000 Network areas that are also Marine Reserves (SCI ES5310035 Marine Area of the North of Menorca and SCI ES5310073 Punta Prima Marine Area – Isla del Aire)

2) Preparation of detailed bionomic cartography of the Natura 2000 Network areas The purpose of this action is to know in greater detail the seabed, and therefore the habitats and the state of conservation of areas that have been detected as more vulnerable and for which updated information is not available. To this end, a detailed bionomic cartography of areas protected by the Natura 2000 Network will be drawn up in the SCI ES5310035 Marine Area of the North of Menorca, which is also a Marine Reserve.

3) Monitoring of seabirds for use as indicators of the conservation status of the marine environment Its objective is to define a monitoring programme for the European Shag, Audouin’s Gull and Yellow-legged Gull to serve as an indicator of the conservation status of the marine environment. Their breeding populations will also be monitored throughout the island coast, quantifying their populations and their main demographic parameters.

4) Monitoring of seagrass meadows, for use as indicators of the state of conservation of the marine environment and the impacts that affect them. Seagrass meadows of the species Cymodocea nodosa (sebadales) will be monitored. Its objective is to define a monitoring program for seagrass meadows of this species that will serve as an indicator of the state of conservation of the marine environment. In addition, a study will be carried out to determine its distribution by means of transects by immersion with a diving suit between the port of Maó and the port of Sanitja, which includes the following Natura 2000 Network areas: ES5310072 Caleta de Binillautí (SCI), ES0000234 S’Albufera des Grau (SCI, SPA), ES0000233 D’Addaia a s’Albufera (SCI, SPA), ES5310071 Cala en Brut (SCI), ES5310070 Punta Redona – Arenal d’en Castell (SCI) and ES5310035 Marine Area of the North of Menorca (SCI).

5) Film series on the marine environment to increase the general awareness of the population This action aims to bring Menorcan society in general, in a visual and attractive way, closer to the natural values of the marine environment of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve, as well as the main threats to which they are exposed. Likewise, it will be transmitted which practices and actions at a personal and collective level collaborate in their conservation and which do not.

6 Publication of a document of good practices for sailors, to disseminate practices that respect activities carried out at sea A document will be prepared that includes a whole set of practices respectful of the marine environment to be followed by users of vessels and activities related to the sea. All the material produced will be published on the website to make them available to any interested party. At least 2,000 brochures will be published on paper to distribute to the aforementioned target audience.

7) Holding of school workshops on marine issues Various material will be prepared for environmental awareness and education within the classroom in relation to the enhancement of the island’s natural marine resources, the main associated problems and conservation needs. Subsequently, a workshop will be offered to the island’s schools on marine issues that will be taught during the 2020-21 academic year.

8) Marine environment informants on beaches (for residents and visitors) The purpose of this action is to have a team of 2 people who, through on-site work on the beaches of Menorca, can inform and attend to the queries and doubts of the users of this environment so closely related to the marine areas that adjoin them and the impacts they suffer. It is a perfect environment in which the contextualization of the problems associated with the marine environment allows information to be delivered much more easily to the general public, in this case mainly tourist visitors.

On the other hand, the availability of two people on the beaches of Menorca will allow data to be obtained on the pressures to which these systems are subjected (in relation to the density of users per m2 of beach) and whether or not they exceed the load capacity attributed to them. In total, there will be three months of daily fieldwork informing users (mainly tourists) of Menorca’s beaches about marine issues and collecting information on the occupation of these beaches

9) Cycle of conferences and round tables on marine ecosystem management The aim of this activity is to bring together the general public and the main actors involved in the marine environment (both protection and environmental organisations, fishermen’s guilds and scientific entities) in the same meeting point to share the most problematic aspects, needs and opportunities for the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. All this not only with the aim of sharing information and experiences, but also of reaching conclusions and contributing to decision-making in a clearer and more effective way.

10) Dissemination actions of the project (press, web, social networks, conferences) Two ways of dissemination are proposed, one at a more local level, and the other at a national and international level. For the local road, a minimum of two press conferences will be held in which the characteristics of the project (at the beginning) and the results obtained (at the end) will be indicated. A minimum of two press reports will also be carried out on the different aspects that are being executed. The entire project will be disseminated through social networks, published on the website of the Island Council of Menorca and on that of the biosphere reserve, where a specific space will be set up.

At a national and international level, the website of the Islands and Coastal Zones Biosphere Reserve, of which the Menorca Island Council is one of the two organizing bodies, as well as the magazine of Biosphere Reserves Spain, will be used to disseminate the project and the results obtained. Finally, a coordination day will be organised with the managers of the protected areas of Menorca in which they have worked with MAREBI to share information on each action.