Spain has launched a public consultation proposing 23 new marine protected areas covering 22,405 square kilometers (8,651 square miles) across Canary Islands waters and the Mediterranean Sea. The initiative aims to advance national commitments to protect 30% of Spanish waters by 2030, bringing current protected waters to 24.53%.
Spain Targets 30% Marine Protection with 23 New Sites
The Spanish government has initiated a formal public consultation process to establish 23 new marine protected areas, centering primarily on the eastern North Atlantic Ocean around the Canary Islands, part of a region known as Macaronesia, and extending into the Mediterranean Sea off the coasts of Valencia, Almería, Granada and the Balearic island of Mallorca. Put forward by Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) in July, the proposal covers 22,405 square kilometers (8,651 square miles) of marine waters. According to the ministry’s proposal, the plan will increase the area of marine waters under Spanish sovereignty or jurisdiction that are protected by 2.08 percentage points, bringing the total to 24.53%.
The proposal is now open for public consultation until Sept. 15.
This latest expansion represents a concrete push toward fulfilling Spain’s international obligation to safeguard at least 30% of its seas and oceans by 2030, a target set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Prior to this proposal, Spain had designated marine protected areas (MPAs) covering approximately 240,000 km2 (nearly 92,700 mi2), which accounted for 22.5% of the total area of its waters.
Ecological Importance of the Canary Islands and Mediterranean Sites
The newly proposed network utilizes several distinct designations under the Habitats Directive, a key instrument through which the EU has committed to protecting natural habitats threatened by human activity as part of its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The blueprint includes 21 new sites of community importance (SCIs) under the Natura 2000 network. Seventeen of these are in Canary Islands waters covering 2,209 km2 (853 mi2), while four more in the Mediterranean Sea will cover 5,341 km2 (2,062 mi2). In addition, two new special protection areas (SPAs) will cover 14,855 km2 (5,736 mi2) of offshore waters around the Canary Islands.
The 21 SCIs focus on plants and non-avian species of animals, including seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa), reefs and submarine canyons, as well as areas supporting cetaceans, marine turtles and other species of conservation interest. Meanwhile, the two SPAs focus on seabirds, such as the Barolo shearwater (Puffinus baroli) and Bulwer’s petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), as well as important feeding grounds for additional seabirds and other protected species.
The Canary Islands are in the heart of the Macaronesian waters,
Carlos Mallo Molina, founder of the Canary Islands-based NGO Innoceana and member of the MPAs Canary Islands project, told Mongabay.
Molina noted that the surrounding region acts as a crucial marine habitat, stating that All of that region is a hotspot for whales
and pointing out that The islands itself are in the middle of the ocean, so they are almost like giant pinnacles showing up, and there are a lot of sharks, there is seagrass, we have deep corals, we have a lot of species.
The Canary Islands also host a key population of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Eastern Atlantic, where juveniles and subadults come to shallow areas to feed on seagrass meadows and complete their development.
Addressing the Gap Between Designation and Enforcement
Despite ongoing efforts by Spanish authorities, conservation groups have raised concerns in recent years about the state of Spain’s marine protected areas, highlighting a significant discrepancy between areas designated “on paper” and those that are subject to effective protection. The European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Spain in 2023 for violating the Habitats Directive, deeming the number, size and location of the sites proposed by the country for the Natura 2000 network to be insufficient. In response, MITECO approved the creation of seven new marine sites within the Natura 2000 network that same year, followed by five more in 2025.
Conservation scientists remain watchful regarding how these newly proposed zones will be managed once finalized. We think that Spain is in a good direction in terms of designation,
Helena Álvarez, a senior marine scientist at the U.S.-based NGO Oceana, told Mongabay. Álvarez added: The problem comes when you compare the area designated with the areas that have an actual management plan.
Public Consultation Timeline and Broader Island Frameworks
The current Spanish proposal remains open for public consultation until Sept. 15. The designated areas feature vulnerable ecosystems such as rocky seabeds supported by the black coral Antipathella wollastoni, which provides structure for biodiversity-rich marine animal forests and faces ongoing environmental threats from overfishing, climate change, marine pollution and coastal development.
Similar marine safeguarding efforts are unfolding across other island jurisdictions. Across the Channel Islands, local initiatives have helped identify important habitats, including previously unmapped areas of seagrass, so protection could be focused where it was needed most. The waters around Sark are home to species including European spiny lobster, rays, catsharks, octopus and pink sea fans, forming part of a wider effort across the Channel Islands to safeguard marine environments, including a plan to protect more than 20% of Jersey’s waters. Watson noted that stronger protection could bring benefits for both wildlife and people by helping to sustain fish stocks and preserve habitats that support marine biodiversity, adding: Some of those habitats are really important at drawing down and locking away carbon.
