Redeia, the Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) and the Institut Menorquí d’Estudis join forces to protect macroalgae in Menorca

Today Redeia, the Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) and the Institut Menorquí d’Estudis (IME) unveiled the Macroalgae Forests initiative, a joint restoration project that aims to develop new research, methodologies and monitoring tools to help restore diminished macroalgae populations in the Mediterranean and along other parts of the Spanish coastline, including the Cantabrian and Atlantic coasts.

The goal of the project, which is conducted under Redeia’s Marine Forest platform, is to establish an initial restoration initiative for Cystoseira balearica colonies in Addaia Bay, within the Albufera des Grau Natural Park in Menorca. It also seeks to provide a robust scientific foundation to support wider macroalgae conservation efforts. These species’ populations create highly biodiverse habitats that are essential to marine ecosystems. However, they are currently under threat from human activity, climate change and grazing by herbivorous species such as the common sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus).

The first action under the project, which will initially focus on the Mediterranean, with the Illes Balears and the Catalan coast as priority areas, will take place in Addaia Bay, where a significant decline in Cystoseira balearica forests has already been identified as a result of excessive grazing caused by an overpopulation of common sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus), which feed on these macroalgae. This phenomenon is occurring across the Mediterranean because sea urchin populations are no longer being kept under control by their natural predators, mainly fish from the wrasse and seabream families, which have themselves been affected by overfishing.

The project was presented at the headquarters of the Observatorio Socioambiental de Menorca (Menorca Socio-Environmental Observatory, OBSAM). Participants included José Simón Gornés, Regional Minister for the Environment, Biosphere Reserve and Cooperation at the Council of Menorca; Joan Palliser, Mayor of Es Mercadal; Ana Torres, Director General for the Natural Environment at the Government of the Illes Balears; Joan Pons, President of the IME; Eva Pagán, Redeia's Corporate Director of Sustainability and Research; and Laura Quintana, Redeia's Director of Sustainable Development. 

In her speech, Laura Quintana highlighted that, through this initiative, Redeia’s Marine Forest platform “takes another step towards the conservation of marine ecosystems. This strategic partnership with two of the country’s leading scientific organisations in marine research will help us gain a better understanding of how we can protect and restore this key ocean species, while multiplying the positive impact on the marine environment as a whole.

Representing the Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), the project’s lead researcher, Dr Emma Cebrian, stressed the importance of providing conservation efforts with a solid and innovative scientific foundation: “Small-scale active restoration is no longer enough given the pace of degradation in the Mediterranean. With this project, we are taking a qualitative leap forward by combining restoration through herbivore control with cutting-edge technologies. Our aim at the CEAB is to validate efficient methodologies, define accurate biodiversity indicators and create technological tools that will allow us to move from pilot projects to larger-scale recovery efforts that are both ecologically and economically viable.” 

Similarly, Eva Marsinyach, a technician at the Observatorio Socioambiental de Menorca (OBSAM), highlighted that: “The projects carried out in Menorca in recent years have helped expand our knowledge of macroalgae forests and their conservation status. This new project represents a further step towards consolidating this line of work, addressing new scientific challenges and advancing the development of tools that contribute to their recovery and management.”

Project development:

The intervention in Addaia Bay will be structured in three phases: assessing herbivore populations (particularly sea urchin populations), controlling herbivores, and defining and monitoring recovery indicators to evaluate the success of the initiative.

To support restoration efforts, the most suitable sites for sea urchin control measures will be identified. The aim is to enable the natural recovery of the meadow.

In addition, the area will be monitored to track progress and obtain an accurate estimate of the initiative’s success indicators.  The project’s progress will be monitored using a range of technological tools, including scheduled drone flights, Sentinel satellite imagery, artificial intelligence models, photogrammetry, 3D reconstruction and underwater surveys. This will make it possible to accurately measure success indicators and assess ecosystem recovery. All these actions will help establish a robust scientific foundation for implementing more efficient, sustainable and scalable conservation solutions. 

For the first time, Redeia’s Marine Forest platform is embarking on a project focused on macroalgae. As part of the company’s Comprehensive Impact Strategy, this initiative complements other actions carried out in marine ecosystems, such as the restoration of Posidonia oceanica in Pollença Bay (Mallorca) and gorgonian forests in the Atlantic.