The MSC Foundation and the Vellmarí Association have launched "Mediterranean Shallow Bays," a new three-year program combining Posidonia oceanica restoration, marine education, and community engagement. Led by Vellmarí, the program will begin in Ibiza with the aim 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 presented aboard EXPLORA III during the ship's inauguration ceremony, coinciding with the appointment of Vellmarí co-founder Cristina Ozores as its 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 ecological feasibility, site selection, and consultations with local stakeholders allow, the model is planned to be adapted to the coasts of Palma and Barcelona during the second and third years of implementation.
Posidonia oceanica is a species of seagrass found only in the Mediterranean. Its underwater meadows provide habitat for marine life, store blue carbon, stabilize the seabed, and help protect coastlines from erosion.
“How easy it is to destroy these ecosystems, but how extraordinarily difficult it is to restore them,” stated Manu San Félix, founder of the Vellmarí Association. “That’s why protecting the remaining Posidonia seagrass meadows 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 on-the-ground 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 education director of the Vellmarí Association.
Over this three-year period, the program will involve approximately 6,000 students from 30 schools and educational centers. It will also include around 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 collaboration 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 godmother of EXPLORA III is a fitting symbol of the shared commitment to the sea that underpins this collaboration.”.
The initiative builds on the collaboration established by the MSC Foundation and Vellmarí in Formentera in 2024, within the framework of the Foundation's broader partnership 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 Posidonia meadows in the waters surrounding Formentera.
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