The MSC Foundation and Asociacion Vellmari have launched “Shallow Bays of the Mediterranean,” a new three-year program combining Posidonia oceanica restoration, marine education and community engagement.
Led by Vellmari, the program’s implementation will begin in Ibiza to establish a scientifically validated model that can be adapted for Palma de Mallorca and the Barcelona coastline.
The program is running from August 2026 to July 2029.
Daniela Picco, executive director of the MSC Foundation, said: “Beneath the shallow bays of the Mediterranean lie Posidonia oceanica meadows, one of the region’s most important ecosystems.”
“Our partnership with Asociacion Vellmari brings together scientific expertise, education and community participation, helping people become active stewards of the sea that connects us all,” added Picco.
Manu San Felix, founder of Asociacion Vellmari, said: “How easy it is to destroy these ecosystems, but extraordinarily difficult to restore them. That is why protecting the Posidonia meadows that remain must be our top priority.”
The initiative builds on the collaboration established by the MSC Foundation and Vellmarí in Formentera in 2024. During the first two years, Vellmari planted more than 78,000 Posidonia oceanica plants.
The program aims to plant and monitor between 170,000 and 180,000 Posidonia oceanica plants, bringing an additional 215,278 square feet of degraded coastal habitat under restoration.
The program will combine science-based restoration with long-term environmental monitoring, ocean literacy and practical community participation, the foundation said in a press release.
Schools, dive centers, volunteers, educators and researchers will take part in restoration, citizen science and field-learning activities.
The initiative will also train educators, volunteers and dive professionals, helping to build capacity based on local knowledge to support continued conservation action.
Over the three years, the program will engage around 6,000 students across 30 schools and education centers. It will also involve around 600 volunteers and provide training for 28 educators and 24 dive centers, according to the foundation.
