Programme of activities on the shallow bays of Menorca

A new cycle of participatory events and workshops to bring the public closer to Menorca’s shallow bays

The activities are part of the Dive into the Bays campaign run by OBSAM-IME, Marilles Foundation and Menorca Preservation, and will take place in Mahón, Addaia and Fornells

The shallow water bays of Menorca and the diversity of ecosystems that inhabit them will be the protagonists of a series of workshops to be held this September in Mahon, Addaia and Fornells. These activities have two objectives: firstly, to inform about the great biodiversity of the island’s shallow bays and the need to conserve them, and secondly, to publicise and debate the diagnosis and integrated management proposals that have been drawn up as part of the ‘Conservation and restoration of shallow bays’ programme that was presented on 4 June 2024 in Cala Teulera. The activities are part of the campaign Dive into the bays, launched through social networks on 26 June by the Socio-environmental Observatory of Menorca (OBSAM-IME), the Marilles Foundation and Menorca Preservation, three entities that have been collaborating for years in the conservation of these unique spaces.

Programme of activities

The bay of the port of Mahón will be the protagonist of the first workshop, which will be held at Ca n’Oliver, on 17th September at 18:00h. Eva Marsinyach and Aina Blanco-Magadán, in charge of the project for the conservation and restoration of shallow bays in Menorca, will explain the diagnosis that has been made for the bay of the port of Mahón and the restoration experiments that have been carried out in this place; and they will also receive the comments and proposals raised by the attendees. The activity is open to all those interested in learning more about this place, sharing doubts, questions and proposals, and expressing their opinion on its conservation.

The next event will be on the 21st in Addaia. On this occasion, a kayak excursion will take place in order to see the biodiversity of this place in situ. The trip will be guided by the OBSAM-IME staff, with departure and arrival at Cala Molí. Among other things, participants will have the opportunity to discover a Posidonia barrier reef and the Addaia salt marshes, a unique space for aquatic flora and fauna. This is the only non-subsidised activity, and places are limited, with prior registration required.

Fornells will be the star bay on the 30th of September. The Castell de Sant Antoni will host a participative workshop open to all those interested in learning more about this bay, the threats it faces and conservation proposals. The event will also include the screening of the Arxipèlag blau chapter dedicated to shallow bays and with the participation of Observadores de Mar, the marine citizen science platform.

A joint strategy to restore these environments

In addition to defining the current state of these bays, raising public awareness of the ecological importance of these habitats and promoting integrated management proposals, another of the main objectives of the project is to ensure that the administrations are involved in their conservation. For this reason, in parallel, the documents drawn up have been shared with the Balearic Government, the Island Council and the administrations involved in the management of these spaces in order to enrich the debate and formalise consensual conservation proposals.

Dive into the bays

The campaign Dive into the bays is an initiative of OBSAM-IME, the Foundation Marilles and Menorca Preservation. The aim is to raise awareness of the shallow bays of Menorca, which are unique and fundamental spaces for the biodiversity of the Balearic Sea, yet also exposed to significant human pressures, such as the quality of the water, the impact of shipping and coastal development. They are home to plants such as Posidonia; algae of high ecological value, such as Cystoseira; a large number of species such as seahorses and pipefish, and a refuge for the fry of a large number of marine species.