ANNUAL REPORT 2023
Welcome
Welcome to the 2023 Save the Med Annual Report. Another amazing year of seeing the Foundation grow, projects expand and more community involvement than ever.
We have shaken things up a bit with our new presentation and hope this more dynamic version gives you a deeper insight into the many facets that come together to create the movement towards the marine regeneration of the Mediterranean Basin.
A word from our President
I was on the drive home, after spending an afternoon with Josep Vives, my good friend and colleague from the Pollença based NGO Arrels Marines. As we were leaving the stunning Tramuntana landscape behind us, my kids asked me: “Papa, why are you two separate NGOs? Why are you not working together?” A fair and sensible observation from a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old. My response to these insightful young humans was: “We are working very closely together and have been for the past couple of years.” To which they responded: “Why are you not called Save the Arrels?!” I love the purity and honesty of children’s thoughts, something that we, as adults, should strive to return to. How have two young children observed the vital necessity for collaboration, which has been missing for many years in the third sector? What is stopping our communities and governments from effectively creating sufficient change to deal with the monumental climate issues that we are all facing today? With this in mind, Save the Med is moving forward guided by three defining pillars: The first pillar is deep collaboration. As observed by my children, collaboration is one action that we must embrace, but on a much deeper level. Nowadays many collaborations are carried out at a superficial level, which as a result do not have the strength to last nor to contribute meaningfully to the change required.. In my experience deep collaboration yields the best results once trust and respect has been forged between the people involved. This takes time. The second pillar is about adopting a holistic vision. Sadly, most of our world has become monocultural. The way most of us live fails to prioritise the biodiversity that is critically important to support living systems. This importance is also not reflected in the way the third sector prioritises or solves environmental problems. Many of today’s so-called solutions become tomorrow's problems, as we have not mastered the ability to see the entire picture. This needs to change. The third pillar is local community engagement. We believe this to be the missing link in Mediterranean regeneration. For decades, most large International NGOs working within the Mediterranean region have been focused on top-down processes. Meaning that they mostly work with governments to change policy, and that the last people to find out are the locals who are directly affected by that policy change. This in itself is not a negative action. However, it leaves out local social movements and engagement at grassroots level, leading to poor results and laws that are not necessarily adopted or embraced on the ground. Save the Med is currently focused on integrating these three pillars; collaboration, holistic vision and community engagement, into the amazing projects we already have underway. 2023 was another wonderful year at the helm of this good ship Save the Med Foundation. I hope you enjoy reading this Annual Report and that you too will find some inspiration. Stay strong, stay focused and stay together! - Brad Robertson, President, Save the Med Foundation
About Save the Med
VISION:
A healthy Mediterranean basin.
MISSION:
Contribute to the regeneration of the Mediterranean basin through a holistic and collective approach, accompanying the re-evolution of local communities into conscious and active custodians.
Save the Med inspires local communities to take action not only to protect but also to regenerate their surrounding environment. The organisation conducts research to generate knowledge towards a better understanding of fragile ecosystems, and to implement innovative projects to minimise human impact on the environment while contributing towards improvements in relevant policy and management strategies.
Save the Med collaborates with individuals, schools, businesses, NGOs, governmental institutions and other stakeholders to develop and implement regeneration projects.
Team update
Expanding our team
Save the Med are happy to welcome a few newcomers to the team: Paula as Multimedia Manager, Jorge as Operations Manager, and Lara, as coordinator of collaboration initiatives.
Settling in to the new offices
At the end of 2022 the Foundation moved to new offices in the central Mallorcan village of Binissalem. 2023 has been about making the office building and village the Foundation's home.
Marine Regeneration
MARINE STEWARDSHIP & CUSTODY
Protecting our oceans for the future isn't just a task for scientists and governments - it requires the active involvement of us, the humans who live alongside them. This is where marine stewardship and custody come in.
Stewardship describes the responsible management of the ocean and its resources, like fish populations and marine ecosystems. Custody, on the other hand, emphasises the careful watch kept over these life sustaining resources, ensuring their responsible use and long-term health. And who is better suited to lead these processes than the local communities that know their areas best?
SA DRAGONERA BLAVA (Blue Dragonera)
100+
Participants at the 3rd Sa Dragonera Blava Conference
7x
Increase in commercially valuable fish biomass within the marine reserve
3
Open forums, that in turn established 3 different working groups
- Education & best practises
- Mooring & anchoring
- Water quality
U NORD BLAU (The Blue North)
Participants in activities at sea
200
Individuals participated in forums
186
1
Proposal submitted for the protection of the sea around Cape Formentor
Harnessing the knowledge and experience gained through our community engagement projects in Sa Dragonera, the U Nord Blau initiative aims to achieve lasting environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic benefits. Open forums have been created to help foster stewardship of land and sea among communities in the area of Pollença, facilitating dialogue and the sharing of knowledge amongst citizens.
Marine Research
SPINETAIL DEVIL RAYS (Mobula mobular)
Registered sightings to date
360
Rays succesfully tagged and tracked to date
2
In recent years, Save the Med has been able to gather in-depth information on the presence and behaviour of Spinetail Devil Rays in the Balearic Sea. The team successfully tagged two individuals and recorded unique data, including dives to more than 600m depth and a 650 km journey to the Ligurian Sea (Northern Italy). This research enables biologists to better understand these mysterious animals and develop an evidence-based conservation strategy for rays in the area.
PETITS TAURONS- ACCIÓ STELLARIS
(Small sharks - Stellaris Action)
200+
Sharks bred in captivity to date
Young sharks tagged and released in Cabrera National Park
16
16
Young sharks tagged and released in the marine reserves of El Toro and Malgrats
Protection of Marine Ecosystems
IBIZA
In 2023, Save the Med contributed to a successful proposal presented to the Government of the Balearic Islands, to establish marine reserves in Ses Bledes and Es Vedrà-Vedranell in Ibiza and to improve management measures for these areas.
CANAL DE MENORCA
Save The Med is part of the steering committee drafting a management plan for the Natura 2000 site in the Menorca Channel. Working closely with relevant institutions to create a management plan they are taking into account all research and the voice of all stakeholders in the community.
CAP DE FORMENTOR
Save the Med submitted a collaborative proposal for the protection of the marine area surrounding the Cape of Formentor calling for comprehensive conservation measures, an expansion of the protected area and the regulation of fishing activities.
Plastic Pollution Reduction
In the current era, environmental awareness of plastic pollution has reached record levels, and the search for sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics has become a global priority. Growing concern about the negative impacts of plastic products on the environment and human health has driven innovation towards greener solutions. However, in this emerging landscape of alternative options, there is a need to objectively assess and compare their sustainability and effectiveness.
PLASTIC POLLUTION REDUCTION PROJECT
Developed by Save the Med in 2018, the Honest Alternatives to Plastics Index (HAPI) is an innovative tool that evaluates, and eventually reduces, the plastic footprint of companies in the hospitality industry and beyond. It is currently being used to calculate the impact of businesses who want to get certified in the Plastic Free Balearics Programme
170
Establishments evaluated in the Balearic Islands to date
100
Establishments certified through the Plastic Free Balearics programme
40,000
Kilos of potential plastic waste have been prevented through the programme since 2021
BACK4THEFUTURE -
Let’s rewrite our story
Back4thefuture is an interactive artwork that was born from the collaboration of Mallorcan artist Carles GO’D and Save the Med. It is a visual tool that weaves cultural, scientific and social storylines. It has been used to spark dialogue and reflection, challenging our mainstream perceptions and questioning today’s prevailing patterns of consumption and development.
As part of Save the Med’s plastic pollution reduction project, Save the Med continued its close collaboration with Spanish sailing team SailGP Spain. We participated in their Inspire program, SailGP’s community, education and outreach initiative. The program aims to play a leading role in helping to diversify the sport of sailing for youth so that race, gender, and socioeconomic status do not constitute a barrier to entry.
SailGP
40
Students participated in citizen-science beach clean
130
Students joined Save the Med’s marine biodiversity workshop
1
Training workshop for SailGP team
Education Programmes
Save the Med’s education programmes demonstrate that small actions can make big differences and can nurture the next generation of environmental stewards, equipping them with knowledge, skills and purpose.
DOS MANOS
11,170
Students have participated in the programme
400,000
Plastic objects have been removed from beaches in Mallorca
60
Participants from the penitentiary centre of Palma joined the action this year
CHANGEMAKERS
200+
Students participated in 2023
57
Teams presented projects to reduce single-use plastics
30
Students took part in an in-depth workshop at Save the Med HQ
5
Days at sea on a scientific expedition
1000+
Students have participated since inception
GAME CHANGERS
The success of the Changemakers project has prompted the team at Save the Med to take the concept a step further and create Game Changers, a university level project to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders to effect real change.
An agreement was signed with Save the Med, University of the Balearic Islands and Fundación Occident to launch the pilot in 2023
Fifteen multi-disciplinary groups have signed up as participants in the challenge, including students studying Law, Marine Biology and Social Sciences
Top projects will be awarded a cash prize and invited for a week at sea on-board a marine science expedition with Save the Med
STM Ed is a pilot project designed by teachers and biologists, offering access to an interactive online platform containing online courses and materials on the marine environment. This will be made available to students and educators as well as to any individual, group or entity interested.
As this was designed to be incorporated into the local education system, at present the projects are in Catalan and Spanish only.