The invisible threat of plastic pollution in the waters of the Balearic Islands. By Inma Saranova (IbizaPreservation)

Inma Saranova, director of IbizaPreservation

This June 5th, World Environment Day, the United Nations is launching a clear message: “End plastic pollution.” And in the Balearic Islands, specifically, this slogan should be an urgent call to action. Because, despite the Instagrammability of our pristine sea, which can be perceived from the surface, the depths of our waters tell a different story than the one we upload to social media. A story written with packaging scraps, fragments of nets, microplastics, and other waste that ends up at the bottom of the sea every day. It is an invisible threat, but persistent and growing.

A semi-enclosed sea saturated with plastics

The Mediterranean is the most plastic-polluted sea in Europe and one of the most affected worldwide. As a semi-enclosed sea, with intense human activity on its coasts and a limited capacity for water renewal, waste tends to concentrate and persist over time. In the Mediterranean, the Balearic Islands are a hotspot on this pollution map.

Faced with this reality, IbizaPreservation, in collaboration with Mallorca Preservation and Menorca Preservation, has launched a new project called "Weaving the Future: An Alliance for the Preservation of the Balearic Islands" with the support of Conservation Collective (an international network of local non-profit environmental foundations operating in particularly valuable and vulnerable territories, whose model is based on channeling philanthropic funding towards initiatives led by the local community, and which is present in more than 20 regions around the world, including Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca), the watchmaking firm Hublot and the British band Depeche Mode . This initiative aims to address the problem of marine debris from a comprehensive perspective. One of the key actions of this project is the development of a study on the presence of plastics and other debris on the seabed near our coasts, in collaboration with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) and local diving centers. The purpose of this work is to characterize the waste: to determine what types we find, in what quantities, in which areas it accumulates most, and—crucially—to try to determine its possible origins. This knowledge will allow us not only to diagnose the problem but also to design adapted and effective solutions, both from a regulatory perspective and through citizen action.

Because the seabed, despite its invisibility, is vital to the health of the marine ecosystem. It is the habitat of numerous species, a storehouse of blue carbon, and part of the natural balance that sustains our biodiversity and our fisheries resources. Therefore, the presence of plastics on the seabed is not an anecdote but a serious symptom of an unsustainable consumption and waste management model.

Beyond cleanups: Acting at the source of the problem

The fight against plastic cannot be reduced to cleaning beaches. These types of actions are necessary in terms of raising public awareness, but they are insufficient if we don't address the root causes of the problem: our dependence on single-use plastic, the widespread lack of responsibility among producers, deficiencies in collection and treatment systems, and, especially, the lack of bold policies that promote sustainable alternatives.

Although the challenge is daunting, at IbizaPreservation we believe it is possible to change this model. The Balearic Islands have the conditions—and the duty—to become a Mediterranean benchmark in marine sustainability. To achieve this, we need more science, like that provided by our pioneering study on the seabed; more effective regulation that limits unnecessary plastics and encourages reuse; and, above all, greater citizen awareness capable of transforming environmental concern into active commitment.

It's not the plastic, it's us: changing the system

Plastic is often described as a silent enemy. But the truth is, it's not plastic that threatens our oceans, it's us. The problem lies not only in the type of material, but in the system that produces it, uses it immeasurably, and disposes of it without control. And it is precisely that system that we must transform.

We're not talking about the aesthetics of our beaches or the quality of summer bathing water. What's at stake is the health of marine ecosystems, local fisheries, the economy, and the resilience of our territory to climate change. Plastic in the ocean isn't just waste; it's evidence of a completely unviable way of inhabiting the planet.

Citizen commitment to transform the model

For all these reasons, we invite you to use this World Environment Day as a way of looking beyond the surface. To understand that protecting our seas goes beyond slogans. It requires knowledge, political will, resources, and, above all, an informed and engaged citizenry. And to achieve this, at IbizaPreservation, we are weaving the future through science, collaboration, and action.

(*) Inma Saranova is the Executive Director of IbizaPreservation , a non-profit foundation that promotes the conservation and restoration of the Pitiusas Islands' exceptional natural heritage. Since 2008, the Foundation has led, promoted, and participated in initiatives that promote the protection of local habitats and more sustainable ways of life.

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