Spain plans 23 new marine protected areas

August 22, 2026

Spain has unveiled plans to establish 23 new marine protected areas (MPAs) across waters surrounding the Canary Islands and parts of the Mediterranean, taking another step toward its commitment to protect 30% of its marine territory by 2030.

The initiative, introduced by Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has entered a public consultation period. If approved, the proposed protected zones would cover approximately 22,405 square kilometers (8,651 square miles) of ocean.

Most of the new protected territory would be located around the Canary Islands in the eastern North Atlantic, within the biodiverse Macaronesian region. Additional sites are planned in Mediterranean waters near Valencia, Almería, Granada and Mallorca.

23 new protected areas planned

The proposal would add 21 Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) to the European Union's Natura 2000 ecological network.

Seventeen of the proposed SCIs would be established around the Canary Islands, covering approximately 2,209 km² (853 mi²). Another four Mediterranean sites would encompass roughly 5,341 km² (2,062 mi²).

Spain also plans to designate two new Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds in offshore waters surrounding the Canary Islands. Together, these areas would cover approximately 14,855 km² (5,736 mi²).

According to the ministry, the new designations would increase the proportion of Spanish marine waters under protection by 2.08 percentage points, bringing the national total to approximately 24.53%.

The proposal is currently open for public consultation until September 15.

Protecting seagrass, reefs, whales and seabirds

The proposed marine protected areas are designed to safeguard a diverse collection of habitats and wildlife under the EU's Natura 2000 framework.

The 21 proposed SCIs would protect important ecosystems including seagrass meadows, reefs and submarine canyons. Among the habitats of particular interest are meadows formed by Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa.

The areas also provide habitat for cetaceans, marine turtles and other species considered important for conservation.

Meanwhile, the two proposed SPAs are primarily intended to protect seabirds. Species that could benefit include the Barolo shearwater (Puffinus baroli) and Bulwer's petrel (Bulweria bulwerii), along with other birds that rely on these waters as important feeding areas.

The Canary Islands occupy an especially valuable position within the Macaronesian marine ecosystem.

Carlos Mallo Molina, founder of Canary Islands-based conservation organization Innoceana and a member of the MPAs Canary Islands project, described the region as exceptionally rich in marine life.

Its deep ocean waters, underwater landscapes and isolated islands support whales, sharks, seagrass ecosystems, deep-water corals and numerous other marine species.

The proposed designations therefore represent an important opportunity to strengthen protection of one of Spain's most biologically diverse marine regions.

Spain moves toward its 30% ocean protection target

Spain has committed to protecting at least 30% of its seas and oceans by 2030, in line with international biodiversity targets established under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The country has already designated approximately 240,000 km² (92,700 mi²) of marine protected areas, representing about 22.5% of Spanish waters.

The latest proposal would move Spain considerably closer to its 30% objective.

However, expanding the geographical coverage of MPAs is only one part of effective marine conservation. Environmental organizations argue that protected status must be supported by strong management plans and restrictions on activities that damage marine ecosystems.

Conservation groups warn about "Paper Parks"

Despite progress in designating new MPAs, conservation organizations have raised concerns about the effectiveness of Spain's existing marine protection network.

One of the biggest challenges is the difference between areas that are officially designated as protected and those where conservation rules are actively implemented and enforced.

Helena Álvarez, a senior marine scientist at Oceana, has said that Spain is making progress when it comes to designating protected areas. However, she noted that significantly fewer sites have effective management plans.

This gap can create so-called "paper parks" — protected areas that exist legally but provide limited practical protection for biodiversity.

Two major problems have been identified: delays in introducing management plans and insufficient restrictions within areas where plans already exist.

In some Natura 2000 sites, potentially damaging activities such as bottom trawling continue despite the area's protected status.

Bottom trawling remains a major concern

The continued presence of bottom trawling inside Spanish MPAs has become a significant point of dispute between conservation groups and the government.

Oceana and environmental law organization ClientEarth took legal action against the Spanish government in both 2024 and 2025 over fishing licenses allowing bottom trawling within protected marine areas.

The organizations argue that such activities should undergo environmental assessments required by European conservation legislation before being authorized.

Research has also raised questions about the effectiveness of current protection measures.

A 2025 study published in Marine Policy found that approximately 63% of the area covered by Spanish MPAs in the Mediterranean lacks protection strong enough to effectively conserve biodiversity.

This suggests that simply increasing the number or size of MPAs may not deliver the expected environmental benefits unless restrictions and enforcement are strengthened.

Spain falls short on strict marine protection

Spain also faces another challenge under the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

The strategy calls for 10% of EU marine waters to receive strict protection, meaning ecosystems should largely remain undisturbed by significant human pressures.

According to Oceana's assessment, Spain remains far from reaching this objective, with less than 0.1% of its waters currently considered strictly protected.

The situation is particularly challenging around the Canary Islands.

The Canary Islands Marine Demarcation covers approximately 486,000 km² (187,646 mi²) and already contains 39 marine areas associated with the Natura 2000 network.

However, a 2026 assessment by MPAs Canary Islands found that only about 11% of these areas are actively managed, while less than 1% qualify as fully protected.

Conservation groups therefore argue that future designations must be accompanied by practical management measures, sufficient funding and effective enforcement.

New MPAs could strengthen marine conservation

Spain has expanded its Natura 2000 marine network several times in recent years.

In 2023, the European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Spain after determining that the number, size and location of areas proposed for Natura 2000 protection were insufficient under the Habitats Directive.

That year, MITECO approved seven additional marine Natura 2000 sites, followed by another five in 2025.

The latest proposal for 23 additional protected areas represents a considerably larger expansion.

Environmental campaigners are now calling for local communities, government institutions, conservation organizations and businesses to participate in developing effective management systems for the new areas.

Such cooperation could help ensure the proposed sites deliver measurable conservation benefits rather than protection existing primarily on paper.

What happens next?

Once Spain's public consultation concludes in September, the proposed Natura 2000 designations will require approval from the European Commission.

After receiving approval, Spain would have up to six years to establish management plans for the designated sites under the EU Habitats Directive.

The expansion could push Spain significantly closer to its goal of protecting 30% of national waters by 2030. Yet the long-term environmental impact will ultimately depend on what happens after designation.

Effective management, restrictions on destructive activities, adequate funding and enforcement will determine whether the new MPAs genuinely protect Spain's marine ecosystems — or become another set of protected areas that exist mainly on maps.