Posidonia Surveillance Service

Protecting our treasure

Formentera, 15 May 2025

Every summer, the waters surrounding the Balearic Islands become a dream destination for thousands of sailors and sea lovers. But this natural splendor is no coincidence. Behind its beauty lies a complex and fragile ecosystem, where Posidonia oceanica plays a crucial role in sustaining marine life and preserving water clarity.

Aware of its ecological value, the Balearic institutions have developed a pioneering system to protect this marine plant. One of the cornerstones of this strategy is the Posidonia Surveillance Service, a program that combines technology, institutional coordination, and public awareness.

The 2025 season begins this May with significant new developments. The introduction of a real-time geolocation system (AIS) will make it possible to anticipate threats, assist boats, and optimize surveillance efforts.

Through a model of preventive conservation, the Balearic Islands once again place themselves at the forefront of marine seabed protection in Europe. The collaboration between public administrations and the commitment of the nautical sector are making a real difference in preserving one of the Mediterranean’s most valuable treasures.

A service strengthened with cutting-edge technology

In 2025, the Posidonia Surveillance Service will implement an Automatic Identification System (AIS) for real-time geolocation of vessels. This technology will increase the system’s efficiency, allow for earlier threat detection, and improve patrol routes for surveillance boats.

Joan Simonet, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, stated that this technological advancement strengthens the preventive nature of the service and further establishes the Balearics as a benchmark in seabed protection.
Deployment will be progressive, starting with one vessel per island and reaching full operation by June 1st with 20 active boats.

Distributed across Mallorca (6), Formentera (5), Ibiza (4), and Menorca (5), the units will remain in operation until October 10th. The strategy focuses not only on surveillance but also on informing, assisting, and relocating boats that anchor improperly over posidonia meadows, thereby minimizing environmental impact.

Why posidonia is essential for Formenteraa

Posidonia oceanica is not an alga but a marine plant endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Its underwater meadows form true marine forests that stabilize the seabed, prevent coastal erosion, and act as marine lungs: they produce oxygen and absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide.
One of the most visible benefits of posidonia is the clarity of the water. The leaves of this plant remove more CO₂ from the atmosphere than any rainforest in the world, contributing to the exceptional transparency of the waters where it thrives, such as those around Formentera. Without this plant, Formentera’s sea would not have the clarity and beauty it is known for.

A coordinated network to protect the seabed

The Posidonia Surveillance Service is part of the Operativo Posidonia, an ambitious program that brings together numerous entities: the Balearic Government, Island Councils, municipalities, environmental agents, Ports of the Balearic Islands, the Maritime Civil Guard, Tragsa, and other partner organizations.
Key resources include the Posidonia Hotline, an online cartographic portal to check permitted anchoring areas, the Posidonia Monitoring Network, and the management of ecological buoy fields that offer sustainable alternatives to traditional anchoring.

During the last season, the service carried out nearly 130,000 operations, checked close to 100,000 anchorages, and relocated around 6,800 boats. More than just numbers, this represents a management model that is setting the standard for Mediterranean marine conservation.
Formentera is a leading example: in 2024, only 1% of anchorages were carried out improperly in its waters, showing that awareness campaigns and surveillance efforts are working.