The MSC Foundation and the Vellmarí Association have launched “Shallow Bays of the Mediterranean,” a new three-year program that combines the restoration of Posidonia oceanica, marine education, and community engagement. Led by Vellmarí, the program will launch in Ibiza with the goal of establishing a scientifically validated model that can later be adapted to Palma and the Barcelona coastline.
The program, which will run from August 2026 to July 2029, was unveiled aboard the EXPLORA III as part of the events surrounding the ship’s inauguration ceremony, coinciding with the appointment of Vellmarí co-founder Cristina Ozores as the ship’s godmother. Building on the existing collaboration between the MSC Foundation and Vellmarí focused on Formentera, the program aims to plant and monitor between 170,000 and 180,000 Posidonia oceanica plants, restore an additional 20,000 square meters of degraded coastal habitat, and engage more than 30,000 people through marine education, citizen science, and community activities.
The first phase will begin in Talamanca Bay, Ibiza, where Vellmarí will develop and refine the program’s restoration and education methodology. Provided that ecological feasibility, site selection, and consultations with local stakeholders allow it, the plan is to adapt the model to the coastlines of Palma and Barcelona during the second and third years of implementation.
Posidonia oceanica is a species of seagrass found exclusively in the Mediterranean. Its underwater seagrass beds provide habitat for marine life, store blue carbon, stabilize the seabed, and help protect coastlines from erosion.
“It’s so easy to destroy these ecosystems, but it’s extraordinarily difficult to restore them,” said Manu San Félix, founder of the Vellmarí Association. “That’s why protecting the remaining Posidonia seagrass beds must be our top priority.”
The program will combine science-based restoration with long-term environmental monitoring, ocean literacy, and hands-on community engagement. Schools, dive centers, volunteers, educators, and researchers will participate in restoration activities, citizen science, and hands-on learning. The initiative will also train educators, volunteers, and diving professionals, helping to build capacity based on local knowledge to support ongoing conservation efforts.
“Every journey to protect the ocean begins with a simple moment: slowing down, discovering its beauty, and falling in love with the sea,” said Cristina Ozores, co-founder and director of education at the Vellmarí Association.
Over the course of this three-year period, the program will involve approximately 6,000 students from 30 schools and educational institutions. It will also involve approximately 600 volunteers and provide training to 28 educators and 24 diving centers.
“Beneath the shallow bays of the Mediterranean lie the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, one of the region’s most important ecosystems,” said Daniela Picco, executive director of the MSC Foundation. “Our partnership with the Vellmarí Association brings together scientific knowledge, education, and community engagement, helping people become active advocates for the sea that unites us all. The appointment of Cristina Ozores as the godmother of EXPLORA III is a fitting symbol of the shared commitment to the sea that underpins this partnership.”
The initiative builds on the partnership established by the MSC Foundation and Vellmarí in Formentera in 2024, as part of the Foundation’s broader collaboration with Mission Blue™, the ocean conservation organization founded by oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle. During the first two years, Vellmarí planted more than 78,000 Posidonia oceanica plants, restoring 2,700 square meters of degraded seagrass meadows in the waters surrounding Formentera.
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