A new delay in protecting Cabrera National Park puts its biodiversity at risk
Press Release Date: March 31, 2026
Location: Madrid
Contact:
Natividad Sánchez | email: nsanchez@oceana.org | tel.: +34 687 598 529
The Balearic Government postpones effective protection of the park until 2027, after proposing to safeguard nearly 600 km² to halt biodiversity loss
The measure endangers everything from deep-sea corals to sharks, which still lack real conservation measures following the 2019 expansion
Oceana warns of a new delay in updating the management framework of the Maritime-Terrestrial National Park of the Cabrera Archipelago, which the Balearic Government has postponed until 2027. The 807 km² of marine area incorporated in 2019—a milestone for marine conservation in Spain, proposed by Oceana—are not included in the current Uses and Management Master Plan (PRUG in Spanish), which covers only one tenth of the park. Corals, cetaceans, turtles, sharks and seabirds lack effective protection, and scientific studies have already confirmed a decline in biodiversity over the past decade.
“Taking eight years to draw up a management plan is an irresponsibility and a breach of the law. The current plan allows activities that are incompatible with the mission of a space that should be the benchmark for conservation in the western Mediterranean. Oceana is calling for urgent measures so that the newly granted deadline to approve the PRUG is not exhausted and Cabrera receives the protection it needs within 2026 itself,” said Michael Sealey, senior policy advisor at Oceana.
Oceana supports the creation of the largest strictly protected area in the Mediterranean
On 27 November, the Balearic Government presented a proposal to create the largest strictly protected area in the Mediterranean, covering approximately 600 km², where all extractive activities would be prohibited. Oceana supports this initiative, but proposes modifying the area designated for restricted use so that it also includes environments of major importance, such as the coralligenous reef of Fort d’en Moreu and part of the Émile Baudot escarpment. These are deep habitats with centuriesold corals; during Oceana expeditions, the organisation witnessed impacts caused by fishing gears that come into contact with the seabed.
This enhanced protection would mark a milestone in the strict protection of Spanish waters, which currently covers less than 1% of the total area and should reach 10% by 2030. If this strictly protected area is approved, the Balearic Islands would demonstrate leadership in marine conservation—but this requires concrete action, not just commitments and proposals.
A recent scientific study reveals that Cabrera has lost nearly 40% of its marine biodiversity in less than a decade, despite theoretically enjoying the highest possible level of protection as a national park. The research highlights a significant decline in species richness across all park habitats, as a result of management failures. Oceana warns that biodiversity loss on this scale shows that protection on paper is not enough: it requires real, on-the-water management.
Oceana’s proposal for zoning the Maritime-Terrestrial National Park of the Cabrera Archipelago
Signs of apparent fishing activity (2019–2024)
Notes to the editor
The Spanish Law 30/2014 of 3 December on National Parks clearly establishes the obligation to guarantee management that ensures the conservation of the natural values of these spaces. Article 2 states that public authorities must “adopt the necessary measures to ensure the conservation, protection and improvement of national parks”, with particular attention to the fragile ecosystems they contain.
Likewise, Article 4 characterises national parks as spaces that must be maintained “in a natural or semi-natural state”, without activities that compromise their ecological integrity. This implies, under the legislation, the need to prevent the presence of industrial or extractive activities incompatible with conservation. Oceana calls for guaranteeing only traditional, locally based fishing uses that are historically rooted and compatible with conservation.
The first attempt to renew the PRUG began on 25 December 2021, but expired on 25 December 2023 without any document having been drafted. In April 2024, the Balearic Government launched a second procedure to renew the Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP) and the PRUG, which for the first time includes the 2019 expansion. According to Law 30/2014 on National Parks, the PRUG must be approved within three years of the law’s entry into force for parks that did not yet have one, or, in this case, following an expansion of the park’s surface area.
Learn more: Oceana’s submissions on the Cabrera management plan project
