Spain has more than one million km2 of marine area and is one of the European countries with the greatest diversity of marine habitats and species. In recent years, great strides have been made in protecting it. However, some species and habitats require specific conservation measures. This is the case of the Balearic shearwater, the most endangered seabird in Europe. Other species such as cetaceans can suffer accidental catches in fishing nets, nuisance caused by underwater noise or collisions with boats.

In order to increase knowledge of marine species and protect their habitat, the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, has launched a programme of actions that will favour the conservation of more than 80 marine species through integrated management, innovative and participatory of the Natura 2000 Network in the Spanish marine environment.

Within this framework, actions will be developed that will provide new data on distribution areas, habitat use and conservation status of various marine species. In addition, the management plans for all the areas of the Natura 2000 Network under the jurisdiction of the General State Administration will be drawn up in a participatory manner with the administrations and sectors involved, and the creation of 9 new Sites of Community Importance (SCI) will be proposed to achieve the international commitment to protect at least 10% of the marine area.

Likewise, measures for the maintenance, recovery and restoration of marine habitats and species will be implemented to ensure a favourable state of conservation, both through recovery measures and mitigation of impacts, such as noise, maritime traffic, recreational activities or invasive species, among others.

Over the next eight years, an extensive programme of actions will be carried out linked to research, monitoring and surveillance, conservation, governance and training, as well as communication, awareness and environmental education on marine and coastal biodiversity and the Natura 2000 Network.

Through this series of articles, we will learn about the main characteristics of species that inhabit the Spanish marine environment and for which the LIFE IP INTEMARES project will work in the coming years to contribute to their conservation:

– Pilot whale (Grampus griseus)

– Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

– Sea cicada (Scyllarides latus)

– Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

– Angelshark (Squatina squatina)

– Gorgonians

– Ferruginea limpet (Patella ferruginea)

– Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

– Seba (Cymodocea nodosa)