Fundación Palma Aquarium is the non-profit foundation of Mallorca’s renowned marine park, Palma Aquarium. Fundación Palma Aquarium drives marine conservation across the Mediterranean, focusing on protecting Balearic ecosystems and enhancing community awareness, for a sustainable future through direct intervention and advocacy.
The Balearic Sea is a beacon of biodiversity within the Mediterranean basin with its hundred thousand year old sea grass meadows, its rocky gardens filled with intelligent octopus, odd-looking sea horses and whimsical creatures and the open ocean with the elegant dolphins and the emblematic sea turtles.
This rich paradise is under a very serious threat. Since 2022 the smart buoy in Sa Dragonera, has registered record-breaking temperatures of more than 31ºC, reaching its peak, at a scorching 31,87ºC (12.08.2024).
Annual Mediterranean heatwaves are becoming longer and more severe. A staggering 108-day streak hit the Western region in 2022
Marine heatwaves are like underwater forest fires: they spread uncontrollably for miles carrying devastation wherever they go: they bleach corals and kill sessile and sedentary animals such as gorgonians, mussel fans, sponges, anemones, sea urchins, starfish, octopus etc.
These thermal extremes also jeopardize sea grass meadows (Posidonia oceanica).
Its decline reduces vital dissolved oxygen and destroys natural barriers against coastal erosion. More importantly, resulting in the loss of fish nurseries that are critical for juvenile fish development before venturing into the open ocean.
Rising temperatures have enabled invasive species to out-compete native ones and destabilise local food web.
This trophic shift causes a domino effect that results in severe changes in foraging behaviours thus leading to nutritional stress and to altering of migratory routes of many marine species such as sea turtles, cetaceans, sharks, tuna and even sea birds including the critically endangered Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus).
As 2026 unfolds, rising sea temperatures in the Balearics have made “tropicalisation” a tangible reality.
Within this frame, Fundación Palma Aquarium works tirelessly to ensure that the Balearic Sea remains a biodiversity hub. However, this mission is not an easy feat and not one that ought to be taken upon or achieved alone.
The collaboration of nautical clubs, marinas, residents, and visitors is our most essential ingredient.
This is why we are launching the “Alliance for the Seas 2026” campaign for nautical clubs and ports to bridge maritime leisure with environmental responsibility. A core focus is delivering interactive marine biology workshops to children participating in summer camps and sailing clubs, transforming children’s curiosity into a lifelong passion for the sea.
This campaign actively seeks to expand our network of new entities, nautical clubs, and marinas across the Balearic Archipelago to join this annual campaign. Partnering with us in this collective endeavour, is more than a simple collaboration, it is a formal commitment to protect and preserve Balearic marine heritage.
Together, we can build a legacy of hope and protection, ensuring that future generations inherit the incomparable beauty of the Balearic Islands.
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