In the lively and well-visited town of Port de Pollença in northeast Mallorca, known for its rich coastal traditions and its intimate yet cosmopolitan setting, local members of the community are hard at work on an essential initiative: the U Nord Blau project, spearheaded by the Pollença-based NGO Arrels Marines in collaboration with Save the Med.
At first glance the whole region of the municipality of Pollença offers everything that attracts the tourists eye: the beautiful beaches and pristine waters of Cala Sant Vicenç, the long seaside esplanade and cosy streets in the Port of Pollença, as well as the nearby ancient town of Pollença amidst the mountains. Being part of the Tramuntana mountain range, the region also offers a fair amount of outdoor activities which range from hiking in the mountains to scuba diving and kitesurfing. The port of Pollença is home to many sailing boats and small yachts, adding to the picturesque setting of this much-prized destination for both holiday-goers and Mallorcans.
The Municipality of Pollença also boasts the Formentor Peninsula, the northernmost part of the Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pollença also has the longest coastline in Mallorca, with a significant portion stretching along the Tramuntana. From an environmental and scientific perspective, the waters surrounding the Tramuntana stand out as one of the most significant biodiversity hotspots in the Balearic Islands archipelago, home to rare and threatened species as well as unique ecosystems. The diverse habitats range from shallow waters – featuring sandy and rocky bottoms and Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows – to underwater caves and deeper areas with unique underwater landscapes. These waters are home to over 500 species including sharks, devil rays, turtles, tuna and marine mammals.
Despite being crucial to their ecosystems – and despite state and regional protection provisions covering up to 80% of the coastline in the Municipality of Pollença, including areas within the European Union-wide Natura 2000 network – many of these species remain endangered. Stronger regulations and enforcement are needed to protect the marine environment and its biodiversity from the pressures of the island’s growing population and economic activities, such as fishing and mass tourism. These activities significantly impact the region and its resources, while polluting both land and sea. Local research conducted by Save the Med and Arrels Marines have identified ongoing impacts at various points along Pollença’s coastline that continue to threaten these protected areas. This further underscores the urgent need to develop and enforce management plans within existing frameworks to ensure effective conservation.
Behind the scenes of its striking land- and seascapes, locals are hard at work protecting and regenerating the natural treasures of Pollença through the U Nord Blau project. A joint initiative by Arrels Marines and Save the Med, the project aims to promote regenerative cultures through stewardship and custodian communities. It uses a bottom-up and citizen-based approach to enhance environmental understanding, connect local communities with the sea, and support active participation and decision-making among the citizens of Pollença.
The U Nord Blau project involves activities ranging from educational and citizen science workshops to mapping and monitoring Pollença’s underwater habitats, as well as the quarterly “Talaia Nord” (meaning: Northern Watchtower) forums. The initiative aims to gather environmental and socio-economic data about Pollença’s coastline on the one hand, and, on the other, to mobilise, raise awareness, and engage socio-economic stakeholders and the local community to build a critical mass. Most importantly, the project recognises that people, and more specifically local communities, have to be at the heart of these efforts for effective change to emerge as they are best placed to know and care for their environment. This is at the very heart of what we call marine stewardship.
So how does marine stewardship work? Ignasi Cifre, Projects and Community Manager at Arrels Marines, describes marine stewardship as “a marine conservation strategy where agreements are reached among various stakeholders involved in a specific region, aiming to achieve a better management of that area.” Marine stewardship is a collective undertaking that involves a wide range of both activities and stakeholders. Stakeholders can include NGOs, local authorities, business owners, professional and recreational fishermen, divers, and scientists, to name a few. In summary, any individual or group that interacts with this shared marine and coastal space through their daily activities is considered a stakeholder.
In Pollença, marine stewardship has developed naturally from local community concerns and activities led by the U Nord Blau project. It has further been strengthened by the quarterly “Talaia Nord” forums, which promote participatory governance at the municipal level. They are run jointly by Arrels Marines and Save the Med, and attendance is free and open to all, usually including local community members and relevant stakeholders.
At these forums, participants have the opportunity to have their voices heard, share their perspectives on pressing environmental concerns such as water quality and the protection of biodiversity, and propose possible solutions related to the management of these challenges and the shared coastal and marine space. The forum aims to gather consensus-based input from the local community, relevant stakeholders, and competent authorities to inform a tangible management plan for existing conservation regulations, while also addressing new environmental threats and challenges.
This approach is not without challenges, of course. Unlike large parts of terrestrial management, marine stewardship takes place in a publicly owned marine domain – it belongs to none of the stakeholders involved. This requires in part reaching agreements within the existing delimitations of the regulatory frameworks in place, as well as the ability to reach consensus among all actors and stakeholders involved. As individuals are at the centre of this approach, a conscientious and inclusive perspective is central in these forums in order to resolve conflicts, and to unite all stakeholders involved.
Despite these challenges, the Talaia Nord model of participatory governance has made significant strides since its inception in 2022, and increasingly plays a key role in promoting marine stewardship in Pollença. It helps identify local challenges and builds a shared vision for improving the environment. In addition, by involving the community in co-creating regulations for the coastal and marine spaces they use, the process becomes their own. And thus with each Talaia Nord forum that is held, a new group of marine stewards emerge.
