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Artificial reefs designed to protect Mar Menor marine life
The eco-friendly structures will be installed in Lo Pagán, La Ribera, Los Alcázares and Los Nietos
Environmental agents in the Mar Menor have come up with yet another novel way to protect marine life in the delicate lagoon and surrounds: artificial reefs, made from concrete or recycled materials, that will offer a safe habitat for the Posidonia oceanica meadows and the abundant underwater fauna species that call this corner of Murcia home.
Following an extensive study last November, the regional government plans to apply for European funds to install these seabed barriers beside the existing docks at the marinas of Lo Pagán, Santiago de la Ribera, Tomás Maestre in La Manga, Los Alcázares and Los Nietos. Similar structures are also planned at the moorings on the Perdiguera, Barón and Veneziola islands to protect the native fish and vegetation from boats.
Artificial reefs began popping up along the Spanish coast decades ago as a way to combat illegal trawling and shelter fish species of commercial interest. Today though, their function has evolved towards “avoiding or minimising the impact on habitats and species” and “reducing eutrophication and pollution of the Mar Menor,” as explained by the regional government.
The reef project is part of the Comprehensive Management Plan of the Mar Menor which also includes the creation of a lagoon endangered species bank on the site of the old San Javier airport.The government hopes the funding will come from the European Commission’s new Nature Restoration Law, which aims to restore and reverse the loss of biodiversity in forest, oceans and urban areas across the EU.
The artificial reef project in the Mar Menor would be aligned with the EU's strategy for 2030, whose comprehensive long-term plan is to protect the degradation of threatened ecosystems.
Image 1: Archive
Image 2: CARM
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