Spain begins the process to declare its first marine national park on the island of El Hierro

Opposite La Restinga, the southernmost settlement in all of Spain, there is a sharp underwater mountain with two peaks that just missed emerging from the waters by just a handful of feet. It is known as El Bajón, and is one of the most legendary dives for underwater photography enthusiasts, because this steep wall subject to currents is home to a large number of species, such as enormous groupers and manta rays. The underwater mountain has been part of the Mar de las Calmas (Sea of Calm) marine fishing reserve since 1996, which has greatly contributed to maintaining the enormous biodiversity of this area south of El Hierro, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The Spanish government on Tuesday took a further step to extend its protection, surface area and recognition: the Cabinet has approved the proposal to declare Mar de las Calmas a national park. Now a process begins that will conclude with a bill that will have to be ratified by parliament. If successfully completed, it will be the first entirely marine national park in Spain, and the 17th in the state network of national parks.

The underwater landscape of the Mar de las Calmas is dominated by reefs, caves, tunnels and peaks of volcanic origin where corals of all kinds, algae, sponges and beautiful gorgonians abound. The island of El Hierro has hardly any continental shelf, which makes its surrounding waters a transit zone for large species, such as sperm whales and whale sharks. In addition, as the Ministry for Ecological Transition highlighted on Tuesday, its waters are home to one of the world’s most important communities of beaked whales, a deep-water cetacean. Within the area that is now intended to be protected lies the Tagoro volcano, the result of the underwater eruption that took place in front of La Restinga in 2011 and whose summit stopped just 80 meters short of emerging.

The declaration of the Mar de las Calmas as a national park has been a demand of environmental groups for more than a decade. But it has been rejected by some sectors on the island who fear that it could hinder economic activity. Between April and May of this year, the Ministry for Ecological Transition held a prior public consultation so that all interested parties could express their positions. And in mid-July, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, traveled to the island to speak with different actors to try to pave the way for the national park declaration. Sources from Ecological Transition maintain that, after these meetings, much progress has been made, although there are still loose ends to be tied up.

Among the defenders of this park are traditional fishermen, who have continued to carry out their activity despite the declaration of a marine reserve in force since 1996. But this reserve now covers only 750 hectares. The future national park, according to the ministry, would cover an area of 24,000 hectares, extending several miles out to sea. The management of the space, being entirely marine, would be the responsibility of the central government, unlike what happens with land-based areas. Among the groups that have shown the most reluctance to this new declaration are sport fishing associations and some diving clubs, fearful that restrictions could be increased.

The ministry highlighted in a press release that the proposal approved on Tuesday, in addition to protecting the extraordinary biodiversity of the area, “also contemplates, in a manner consistent with its importance, local residents and rights holders with the economic vision that is necessary and essential to achieve the integration and acceptance of the national park.” A public consultation process is now opened. After that, a bill must be drawn up to be sent to Congress and the Senate for ratification. “It is not a short process,” said a ministry source. “At least a year.”

The last national park to get approval in Spain is the Sierra de las Nieves, in the province of Málaga. From the beginning of the process in February 2018 until it was finally concluded in June 2021, more than three years elapsed.

The future park will contribute to fulfilling the commitment that “at least 30%” of the country’s marine space “will have some form of protection by 2030,” Ecology Minister Teresa Ribera said in the press release. This marine environment already has other forms of protection and is part of the EU’s Natura 2000 Network.

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