Habitat Protection Archives

First records of Asbestopluma hypogea Vacelet and Boury-Esnault, 1996 (Porifera, Demospongiae Cladorhizidae) on seamounts and in bathyal settings of the Mediterranean Sea

The carnivorous sponge Asbestopluma hypogea, was known only from shallow submarine caves (-15 to -26 m) in the Western Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic. Herein A. hypogea is reported from outside of caves, on seamounts in the Alboran Sea (-167 m), off the Balearics (-100 m) and north off Sicily (-660 m), and along steep … Read more

Oil Company set to destroy marine habitats with the Spanish government’s permission

Spain’s beautiful Costa Del Sol, a tourist destination for millions, is under threat from Repsol, and oil company with plans to prospect for gas in the area, and some incredible habitats and marine animals that we just recently documented as part of our latest Ranger Expedition are in danger of being destroyed. Repsol wants to … Read more

Cetacean sighting in the Alboran Sea

Oceana´s Ranger expedition is going strong as it continues through the Alboran Sea, which is the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea. This area, famous for its great number and variety of cetaceans (marine mammals), did not disappoint: our on-board team of scientists, photographers, videographers and divers spotted more than 400 cetaceans in just one … Read more

Oceana discovers large coral reef in the Mediterranean

Oceana discovered a deep-sea, white coral reef in the Alboran sea (Western Mediterranean) during the Oceana Ranger’s 2011 expedition. The international marine conservation organization estimates that the reef’s surface area may exceed 10 hectares and covers a large part of the surface of a seamount whose peak is located between 320 and 400 meters depth. … Read more

Balearic Islands: News & Reports

Balearic Islands: Posidonia

The largest Posidonia reef that can be found throughout Spain and the Mediterranean is located in Baleares, in the Ses Salines d’Eivissa i Formentera protected area. It is considered the world’s oldest organism, around 100,000 years old, as its origin dates from the Pleistocene epoch. Erroneously considered a type of seaweed, Posidonia (Posidonia oceanica) is … Read more

Balearic Islands: Photos

Balearic Islands: Maps

Balearic Islands: Mallorca Channel

Balearic Islands: Overview

The Balearic Island archipelago is located in the western Mediterranean Sea off Spain’s eastern coast. The archipelago consists of three major islands (Majorca, Minorca, and Ibiza) with other small islands such as Cabrera and Formentera. Inhabited from around 4000 B.C., the first real settlements developed with the arrival of the Carthaginians in 654 B.C. Currently, … Read more