Environmental project to restore up to 180,000 seagrass plants in the Balearic Islands

The MSC Foundation and the Vellmarí Association have launched Shallow Bays of the Mediterranean, an ambitious three-year environmental project running from August 2026 to July 2029. It is designed to regenerate degraded Posidonia oceanica meadows and raise marine awareness through education and community participation.

The initiative plans to plant between 170,000 and 180,000 seagrass specimens across approximately 20,000 square metres of coastal habitat.

The programme was formally unveiled in Barcelona aboard Explora III during the events surrounding the ship’s naming ceremony, coinciding with the appointment of Cristina Ozores, co-founder of Vellmarí, as the vessel’s godmother.

Implementation will begin in Talamanca Bay, Ibiza, where Vellmarí will refine the scientific methods used for transplantation and monitoring.

Following this initial phase, and provided that ecological feasibility assessments and cooperation with local stakeholders allow it, the restoration model is expected to be transferred and adapted to the coastlines of Palma and Barcelona during the project’s second and third years.

Through this initiative, the conservation organisation will almost triple the scope of its current restoration projects.

The initiative builds on the partnership launched by the two organisations in Formentera in 2024, as part of their work with oceanographer Sylvia Earle’s international Mission Blue network. There, they successfully replanted more than 78,000 seagrass plants, restoring 2,700 square metres of seabed.

Posidonia oceanica, a marine plant endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, plays a vital role in mitigating climate change and conserving the ecosystem.

Its meadows provide shelter and nursery grounds for numerous marine species, store blue carbon on the ocean floor, stabilise the seabed and reduce wave energy, helping to protect beaches from coastal erosion.

“It is so easy to destroy these ecosystems, yet extraordinarily difficult to restore them. That is why protecting the remaining Posidonia meadows must be our highest priority,” said Manu San Félix, founder of the Vellmarí Association, stressing the urgent need to coordinate scientific action with direct intervention.

Alongside the underwater environmental work, the project includes an educational component aimed at reaching more than 30,000 people.

The plan includes the direct participation of 6,000 students from 30 schools, the involvement of 600 volunteers in citizen science activities, and training for 28 environmental educators and 24 local diving centres.

Daniela Picco, Executive Director of the MSC Foundation, also highlighted the importance of this key ecosystem for the region: “Our collaboration with the Vellmarí Association brings together scientific expertise, education and community engagement, helping people become active advocates for the sea that connects us all.”