The Drug

African bush elephant Loxodonta africana

Underwater life at Sa Dragonera Island Marine Reserve in Mallorca (Balearic Islands). Video by Save The Med Foundation.

The sea area around the Sa Dragonera islet is home to a wide diversity of habitats and species in a relatively small space. Like most of the Mediterranean, until recently the biodiversity of this area was endangered. The first critical moment was in the 1970s, with the growth of tourism pressure in the Balearic Islands, when the islets in this area were bought by a company that was going to urbanised them. The local people got organised and did a peaceful occupation of the islets, until they managed to stop the building project, get the island's local government to buy the area and ensure it became a public natural park, and protected as such.

The land was safe, but the biodiversity in the water continued to be endangered. Locals have continued pressuring the government to protect more waters, and each expansion has proven amazing results. Some fish species have shown an increase of 10%, 16%, and even 40% more individuals than before the area was protected.

The last expansion of marine area to be included in the protected area was the "exterior waters" in 2020. In these 3 years, the dusky grouper fish population has grown to be 7 times what it was 3 years ago, brown meagres are 22 times more, and forkbeards are 16 times more (source). The fish species valued as food have triplicated.

All of this has been possible thanks to experts in the field and also local people who are organised in the association Xarxa Dragonera Blava, where everyone takes care of the area from their own sector. All the management and decisions taking processes in relation to this area are done through a participative model with Xarxa Dragonera Blava and all the local community.