Posidonia Oceánica, a treasure in Ibizan waters

Ibiza is known around the world for the beauty of its beaches and for the transparency of its waters. Every year, visitors from all over the world come to the white island to enjoy the richness of this Balearic paradise. The impressive color of its waters, the marine landscapes that it forms and the diversity of habitats in this environment, invite locals and visitors to conserve this natural treasure with an attitude of awareness and sustainability.

A unique treasure, countless biodiversity habitats

If something characterizes the waters of Ibiza, it is the communion between its palette of saturated blues and its crystal clear waters. A clean and beautiful home that nourishes hundreds of fish and marine organisms and oxygenates these precious waters.

The mother of this underwater environment is the Posidonia oceanica, the endemic plant of the Mediterranean that contributes to the accumulation of sand on the seabed, favoring the transparency of the waters. Its protective nature of the environment where this plant lives also includes other benefits, such as the absorption of a large amount of CO2 or the filtration of impurities from the sea. In addition, once it dies, it continues to be deposited on the beaches, naturally preserving their sand.

But of all the positive effects that surround this endemic Mediterranean plant, its contribution to the development of habitat diversity is one of the most appreciated. Many plant and animal species find protection space and a source of food in these seagrasses. So much so that environments such as the Ibizan area of ​​the Ses Salines park, constitute a unique setting of beauty and study thanks to its many ecosystems protected by this plant. Beaches such as Ses Salines, Es Cavallet or Es Codolar are representative of that idyllic environment favored by Posidonia, which preserves them against the erosion of the waves.

A protective framework to take care of the most precious marine asset

For all those who enjoy sailing in Pitiusas waters year after year, the Consell d'Eivissa created in 2016 a guide with the basic rules for practicing responsible anchoring. It is well known that in the Balearic Islands it is forbidden to anchor on the Posidonia meadows, since in many cases the anchors of the boats can tear or damage this plant.

For this reason, the guide proposes different alternatives such as the use of ecological buoys or the dead ones installed in certain authorized areas. These practices also include considering any type of discharge that is made into the sea, since they modify the physical and chemical conditions of the environment and can even alter the organic balance.

Under the name “Navigate in Green”, the campaign includes information on the areas where it is possible to anchor safely and on how to reserve an ecological buoy. It also informs about the spaces enabled to discharge bilge water in each port.

Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, these ancient grasslands are also part of the European Habitat directive and can be found in a significant number of marine areas belonging to the Natura 2000 Network.