Ona Carbonell stars in our new fundraising campaign

Ona Carbonell stars in Menorca Preservation’s new campaign to protect the island’s future

The Olympic swimmer stars in Protect What You Love, a film directed by Menorcan filmmaker Sergi Escandell, which premiered yesterday at Menorca Preservation’s Charity Gala at Pati de Sa Lluna and invites people to play an active role in protecting Menorca.

Olympic swimmer Ona Carbonell stars in Protect What You Love, Menorca Preservation’s new awareness and fundraising campaign, inviting everyone with a connection to Menorca to become an active part of protecting the island’s natural and cultural heritage.

The campaign is built around a simple idea: we only protect what we love. Through a film directed by Menorcan filmmaker Sergi Escandell, Menorca Preservation aims to remind audiences that protecting the island is not only about preserving its landscapes and biodiversity, but also about supporting the people who dedicate their time and energy every day to caring for it.

The film is now available to watch on the Protect What You Love campaign page, where visitors can also make a donation to support new conservation projects led by the foundation. Through this campaign, Menorca Preservation hopes to inspire everyone who shares a special bond with the island to contribute through a donation, helping to fund local conservation initiatives.

Since its creation in 2017, the foundation has invested more than €2 million in over 100 projects focused on marine conservation, sustainable agriculture, plastic pollution reduction, the energy transition, and the protection of Menorca’s natural and cultural heritage.

Protect What You Love: a tribute to the people protecting Menorca

Alongside Ona Carbonell, the film shines a light on some of the people working every day to safeguard Menorca’s future. They include regenerative farmer Sergio Riudavets from Productes Ecològics Santo Domingo; marine researchers Aina Blanco-Magadán and Eva Marsinyach (OBSAM-IME), whose work focuses on conserving the island’s shallow bays; and bird ringer Santi Catchot (SOM Menorca), whose decades of work have contributed to the scientific monitoring of bird migration across the Mediterranean. The film also features children and young people taking part in environmental education projects, highlighting that conservation also means inspiring future generations.

For Ona Carbonell, Menorca also holds a deeply personal significance. Her close connection with the island was one of the reasons she chose to support the campaign and lend her voice to a message that encourages people to protect the places they love so they remain part of our future.

“Menorca is my place in the world, my refuge, the place where I recharge my batteries and find inspiration for everything I do. It’s where I discovered my profession and my passion for water, weightlessness, art and sport. The salt water of Menorca is a thousand times better than the chlorine in any swimming pool in the world. That’s why I’m delighted to join Menorca Preservation as an ambassador and to be part of the Protect What You Love campaign, helping to raise awareness of the importance of caring for our island,” says Ona Carbonell.

Premiered at Menorca Preservation’s Fundraising Gala

The campaign was unveiled for the first time last night during Menorca Preservation’s Fundraising Gala, held at Pati de Sa Lluna in Alaior. The event brought together donors, partner organisations, businesses and supporters committed to the island’s future, with the aim of continuing to fund conservation projects led by local organisations and by the foundation itself.

The funds raised will support new initiatives across Menorca Preservation’s four strategic pillars — Land, Sea, Energy and Plastic — backing projects that promote biodiversity conservation, the regeneration of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, the transition towards a more sustainable energy model, and the reduction of plastic pollution, always in close collaboration with Menorca’s network of environmental organisations.

“Menorca’s natural environment gives us far more than we often realise. Through this campaign, we want to invite everyone who feels that this island is part of their life to give something back by supporting those of us who work every day to protect it. Every donation helps us support more scientific research, more habitat restoration, more environmental education and more people dedicated to safeguarding the future of this extraordinary island,” says Rebecca Morris.

Finally, Menorca Preservation would like to extend its sincere thanks to everyone who made the event possible, including attendees, partner organisations, sponsors, artists and collaborators, as well as to all those whose generosity is helping to protect Menorca’s natural and cultural heritage: S’Algar Catering, Trifàsic, Bodegas Torralbenc, Eventson, Latelier Menorca, Menorca Flowers, Sal de Menorca, Beatriz Ordovás of Christie’s Spain, Finca S’Ullestrar, Asociación Tursiops, Olives Ocean, Magda Triay, The Queen’s Club, Vestige Son Vell, LASAI, Pipet Café, Wild by Tart, Poppetpics, Casa M, Tesa Pons Livermore, David Monrós, Cavalls Son Àngel, Menorca Discovery, Aquitania, Rossignol and Ecoalf.

More information, film and donations:
https://menorcapreservation.org/protect-what-you-love/