Marina Ibiza has signed a collaboration agreement with the Palma Aquarium Foundation to protect marine species that inhabit the island. The marina will have a special device for the collection and transfer of marine animals that need assistance, such as turtles currently in danger of becoming extinct.

Daniel Marí, manager of Marina Ibiza, spoke to SuperyachtNews about how the initiative came to fruition. “The entire team of Marina Ibiza are very committed to the environment and for this reason, we are constantly thinking of new ways to collaborate. We knew that Marina Port de Mallorca – one of the IPM Group’s companies – was collaborating with the Palma Aquarium Foundation in Mallorca, and this year they contacted us for the new initiative to do in Ibiza.”

There is a sense of collective responsibility to protect the wildlife in the area, especially as the marina is dependent on visiting yachts and the health of the oceans. “Due to our closeness to the sea, we feel the duty to help. We like to do it and we feel it is the right thing to do,” explains Marí. The marina chose to focus on sea turtles as the species is particularly affected by the plastic and floating debris found in the water.

The collaboration between the Palma Aquarium Foundation and Marina Ibiza hopes to promote environmental education for the owners, crew and professionals that use the marina. “We do everything we can as a marina; seeking the support of customers and users through information campaigns, brochures, catalogues and a specific section on environment on the web, in addition to the various collaborations in which we participate” says Marí.

The marinas of the IPM Group have also recently been awarded the ‘Blue Flag’ for the third consecutive year. The Blue Flag, a programme from the Foundation for Environmental Education, is given to organisations where "stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria must be met and maintained."

For Marí, the awareness about the consequences of pollution and debris in the marina should be prevalent in all aspects of life. “I believe that helping in the care of the environment is a matter that concerns everyone, not only public institutions or private companies, but is something that we must apply in our homes as well.” It was recently reported that the Balearic Islands are set to ban single-use plastics (such as plastic bags and straws) by 2020, in an attempt to reduce the amount of pollution the region is seeing.

The marina’s efforts to help with environmental causes is not just limited to the collaboration with the Palma Aquarium Foundation, Marí explains that the marina offers a space for research vessels working in the region. “We collaborate with the IBEAM project, offering free mooring to the vessel SYLT, which is carrying out the research in Formentera waters to create a cartography of the marine floor.”

Marina Ibiza, and the work the wider IPM Group, is another shining example of a yachting company taking the lead in protecting the environment on which our industry is dependent.

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