The Ministry for Ecological Transition has put forward a proposal to expand Spain’s network of marine protected areas (MPAs) with 23 new sites: 21 intended to protect vulnerable species and habitats, and two others specifically for seabirds.
The public comment period for this initiative ends today, September 15. Once the public comment period closes, the Ministry must review the comments received before submitting the final proposal to the European Commission. If approved, the new sites will be incorporated into the Natura 2000 network, at which point the government will have up to six years to develop and approve the corresponding management plans.
If approved, the proposal would add some 22,000 km² of marine protected areas, bringing the coverage of the Natura 2000 network in Spanish waters to 24.53%. Spain’s stated goal, within the framework of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, is to protect at least 30% of its seas by 2030.
The new areas
The list of proposed spaces is organized as follows.
1. The Macaronesian region, which accounts for most of the expansion:
- Western coastal strip of La Palma
- The Area Around the Garafía Coast
- Marine area between El Guindaste and Puerto Trigo
- Deep waters around Santiago-Valle Gran Rey
- Seaweed Beds in Eastern La Gomera
- Marine Environment of Northeastern La Gomera
- Igueste Seagrass Beds
- Seaweed Beds in Eastern Tenerife
- The Teno-Rasca Coastal Area
- Offshore platform off the coast of San Juan de la Rambla
- Reefs in Northern Tenerife
- Reefs between Punta de Gando and Punta del Cuervito
- Seagrass beds and reefs off the coast of Santa Lucía de Tirajana
- Cardón Seagrass Beds
- Marine Area off the Northwest Coast of Gran Canaria
- Reef formations stretching from Punta del Ataque to El Confital
- Famara Seaweed Beds
2. The Mediterranean, where the proposal includes four additional areas:
- Phanerogam grasslands along the northern coast of Valencia
- Marine Environment of Cap Formentor
- Underwater Cannon Systems from Gata and Almanzora-Alías-Garrucha
- Phanerogam Grasslands of the Eastern Coast of Granada
The Challenge of Real Management
The announcement has been met with caution by conservation organizations such as Oceana, which have been pointing out for years that many of Spain’s existing MPAs lack management plans and effective fishing restrictions, making them, in practice, nothing more than lines on a map with no real protection— the so-called “paper parks.”
In fact, Oceana and ClientEarth have pending legal proceedings against the Spanish government for allowing bottom trawling within marine protected areas, a practice they consider incompatible with the Sustainable Fisheries Act and the European Habitats Directive. Added to this is the delay—now for the second time—in the approval of nine management plans for marine Natura 2000 sites, funded by the European LIFE IP Intemares project (with nearly 50 million euros in public funds), whose completion, initially scheduled for 2024, has now been postponed until 2027.