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The Mar Menor, recognized by the United Nations as an Emblematic Ecosystem Restoration Initiative

11/06/2025
  • The international organization accredits its ecological, social and cultural value, as well as the integral response from public institutions and the articulation of a pioneering governance model through the Framework of Priority Actions of the Mar Menor (MAPMM), promoted by the Government of Spain
  • The designation was made public this Wednesday during the United Nations Conference on the Oceans. Other international reference projects have been recognized, such as the North Mozambique Canal or the islands of the Mexican archipelago

11 June 2025- The Mar Menor has been officially recognized as one of the Flagship Ecosystem Restoration Initiatives by the United Nations, within the framework of the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The designation was made public this Wednesday during the Conference on the Oceans, which takes place in Nice, and places the Mar Menor next to other international reference projects such as the North Mozambique Channel, focused on the restoration of mangroves, forests and reefs with community participation, or the islands of the Mexican archipelago, where work is being done on the recovery of island ecosystems, the eradication of invasive species and the restoration of seabirds.

“For us it is an honor, a pride, and, above all, a responsibility to the environment and ecosystems. A work that has been an integral response to a specially degraded space, such as the Mar Menor lagoon, with maximum involvement by the Government for that recovery, as well as a technical work, with a 100% dedicated office, with experts, with scientists, and the excellent work of our Commissioner of the Water Cycle and Ecosystem Recovery, Paca Baraza. The Government wants to share this special prize with Murcian society. Personally, I will go to Murcia to share it with them, because it is a prize for everyone”, said this morning the Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Sara Aagesen, in Nice.

EUROPEAN SYMBOL OF RESTORATION AND INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT

The Mar Menor has been recognized for its ecological, social and cultural value, as well as for the integral response from public institutions and the articulation of a pioneering governance model through the Framework of Priority Actions of the Mar Menor (MAPMM), promoted by the Government of Spain.

With a total investment of 675 million euros, MAPMM is one of the most relevant initiatives of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. It represents a strategic commitment to large-scale ecological restoration, aimed at restoring the natural dynamics of the ecosystem and addressing its structural causes of degradation.

The plan is structured into 10 lines of action and 28 specific measures, among which stand out:

1. The creation of artificial wetlands and green belts to filter nutrients.

2. The restoration of degraded mining areas.

3. The promotion of an agriculture compatible with the lagoon ecosystem.

4. The improvement of flood risk management.

5. The active conservation of biodiversity and the promotion of citizen and institutional participation.

The actions are deployed on more than 8,770 hectares and 450 million have already been activated.

A PROCESS WITH STRONG SOCIAL SUPPORT AND PIONEERING IN EUROPE

The mobilization of citizens has also had an important role. More than half a million people promoted a Popular Legislative Initiative that culminated in the legal recognition of the Mar Menor as a subject of rights, making it the first European ecosystem with this consideration. This initiative, together with judicial procedures based on environmental and criminal liability regulations, has strengthened the defense of the ecosystem from multiple fronts.

A MODEL FOR GLOBAL RESTORATION

The recognition as a Flagship Initiative gives the Mar Menor high international visibility and priority access to technical tools and international financing opportunities, especially for developing countries. In addition, it makes the Spanish case a transferable and inspiring model for other regions of the world that face similar challenges.

This milestone reinforces the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge’s commitment to an ambitious, sustained and science-based ecological restoration, aligned with the goals of the Green Agenda.

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