Spain Proposes 23 New Marine Protected Areas Across Canary Islands and Mediterranean

The Spanish government opened a public consultation, reported August 21, 2026, on a proposal to designate 23 new marine protected areas covering 22,405 km² (8,651 sq mi) — 21 Sites of Community Importance totaling 7,550 km² (2,209 km² around the Canary Islands across 17 sites, plus 5,341 km² across 4 Mediterranean sites off Valencia, Almería, Granada, and Mallorca) and 2 Special Protection Areas covering 14,855 km² of Canary Islands waters. The sites target seagrass meadows, deep-sea corals, cetaceans, sea turtles, and seabirds including Barolo shearwaters, and would lift Spain's protected-waters share from 22.5% to roughly 24.5% toward its 30%-by-2030 commitment. The consultation runs through September 15, 2026, after which the European Commission is expected to approve the designations, with Spain then given six years to develop management plans. Marine scientists welcomed the expansion but flagged enforcement as the key open question, noting a 2025 study found 63% of Spain's existing Mediterranean MPAs lack sufficient protection to safeguard biodiversity, with some sites seeing more fishing inside Natura 2000 boundaries than outside.