Sea

Since the declaration of the Isla del Aire Marine Reserve in 2019, thanks to the OBSAM-IME research studies supported by Menorca Preservation, we have been able to verify that the biomass (weight) of fish doubled and their abundance (number of specimens) increased considerably.

Menorca was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1993 by UNESCO and, on 19th June 2019, UNESCO approved the extension of its limits incorporating the entire marine area that surrounds the island from the coast, 12 nautical miles offshore. This way, Menorca became the largest Marine Biosphere Reserve in the Mediterranean, going from 71,191 hectares to the current 514,485.

Whilst 61% of the waters within the Biosphere reserve limits are under some form of protection, only 1.7% are actually protected and managed. This percentage was slightly increased with the creation of the Isla del Aire Marine Reserve (RMIA).

For this reason, we aligned our goals with the High Seas Treaty agreed by the UN, which proposes that 30% of the seas should be under protected areas by 2030.

Therefore, we aim to increase this 1.7% in order to achieve that 30% of Menorcan waters are effectively studied, protected and managed by 2030.