Balearic NGOs urge transparency in marine management plans

Balearic conservation organisations call on the Government to guarantee transparency and participation in the drafting of management plans for protected marine areas

The executive has outsourced the drafting of the Natura 2000 Network plans

Nine Balearic conservation organisations have asked the Government of the Balearic Islands to guarantee transparency and public participation in the process of drafting the management plans for Natura 2000 Network sites under regional jurisdiction. In a letter signed by Arrels Marines, Fundació Marilles, GOB Mallorca, GOB Menorca, MedGardens, Menorca Preservation, Ibiza Preservation, Save the Med and Shark Med, and addressed to the Directorate General of Natural Environment and Forest Management, the organisations call for the social, scientific and environmental stakeholders of the territory to be able to take part in their preparation.

This letter is motivated by the fact that the Government has changed the methodology for drafting these management plans. Whereas until now participation channels were always opened, the executive has changed its way of doing things and entrusted them all to a public company without informing civil society. Among these management plans are the SCI (Site of Community Importance) Marine Area of Southern Ciutadella (ES5310036) in Menorca and the SCI Bays of Pollença and Alcúdia (ES5310005) in Mallorca, among others.

As the organisations point out, in order to draft these plans it is necessary to ensure that they are not drawn up “behind the scenes”. For this reason, they demand the inclusion of mechanisms for consultation and real involvement, in which both social stakeholders (fishermen, neighbourhood associations, etc.) and scientific and environmental actors in the territory can participate. These mechanisms, moreover, should be included during the drafting process itself, that is, before the documents reach the final stage of formal public consultation.

The organisations understand and share the urgent need to make progress in drafting and approving these management instruments, but stress that this must not be at the expense of participatory governance during the drafting process. Management plans are a key tool for ensuring the conservation of protected areas, as they set out the measures to be applied in a given protected site in order to guarantee a favourable state of conservation.

The signatory organisations state that “in order to work and achieve their objectives, management plans must respond to real needs. This can only be achieved by guaranteeing the real participation of the people and organisations who know best and work in these protected marine areas. This, together with the provision of adequate resources, will help to ensure that these protected marine areas truly fulfil their role and help us to make the Balearic Sea teem with life once again.”

Additional information:

• Of the 49 Natura 2000 Network sites under regional jurisdiction in the Balearic Islands, only 29 have an approved management plan. In terms of surface area, this means that out of 143,555.02 hectares of protected marine areas, only 48.1% have defined measures to ensure their conservation and ecological balance.
• You can consult the status of the management plans through the MirEMP viewer: https://www.med30.org/visores/