The Talamanca ecological buoy field, one of the most awaited actions to protect the seabed of Ibiza, enters a decisive phase.one of the most eagerly awaited actions to protect Ibiza’s seabed, is entering a decisive phase: the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) must develop the project before the end of 2025, otherwise it will lose the European subsidy allocated for its implementation.
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The ecological buoy project in Talamanca, one step closer to protecting Ibiza’s seabed
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Balearic buoy field bookings grow by 32%.
This has been confirmed by the City Council of Ibiza, which has transferred to La Voz de Ibiza that “the Ministry has the project on the table and must develop it before next year, even if it is not 100% complete. If it does not execute it, it will lose the subsidy granted for it“.
The project, financed with Next Generation funds, aims to regulate the anchoring of boats in Talamanca Bay and protect the Posidonia oceanica meadows, declared a World Heritage Site.
The General Subdirectorate of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity has confirmed to La Voz de Ibiza “that, indeed, these projects for the installation of buoys for ecological anchoring have been drafted at the initiative of the General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of the MITECO”.
Although they have not responded whether this project will be ready for next summer.
A project years behind schedule
The Talamanca buoy field is part of the plan of nine ecological anchoring areas promoted by the Balearic Government’s Department of the Sea and Water Cycle and managed by Ports IB, which expects its implementation before the summer of 2026 if the environmental and bidding deadlines are met.
The Ministry, which assumed the drafting of the project after a transfer of authority from Ports IB, has accumulated several delays in its processing, which has generated concern in the City Council of Ibiza and the regional administration.
The Government explained that these buoy fields seek to regulate the anchoring of boats in sensitive areas and prevent anchorages from damaging posidonia, “a key species for marine biodiversity and the quality of the Balearic waters”.
“It should be ready in 2026.”
The mayor of Ibiza, Rafael Triguero, has reiterated that the objective is that the Talamanca buoy field becomes operational in 2026, since its implementation “would reduce the excessive anchorages during the tourist season”.
The mayor stresses that this is a “priority environmental infrastructure” and that its activation “will allow to organize the nautical traffic and to reinforce the security of the Ibizan coast“.
Triguero met last week in Madrid with the Director General of the Merchant Marine, Ana Núñez Velasco, to promote the processing of the project and to coordinate actions on maritime safety, the party boats and the marking of areas at risk of landslides, such as Illa Plana or Dalt Vila.
“The Talamanca buoy field is key to preserve our marine environment and stop irregular anchorages that damage the posidonia”, said the mayor after the meeting, in which he highlighted the “absolute collaboration” of the Merchant Marine.
At stake: financing and coastal model
The City Council warns that the execution of the project is subject to very tight deadlines.
“If the timetable is not met, MITECO will lose European funding and other sources of financing would have to be sought,” Triguero said in recent statements.
The consistory considers that this action will not only contribute to preserve the marine ecosystem, but will also help to reduce the pressure of illegal anchorages and party boats operating in the bay.
This is precisely one of the battles to be fought next season: the party boats, although this term does not legally exist, but they are “marine excursions”. For that reason, they are planning strong measures, including their prohibition in case the buoy field is not ready.
“They are not the tourist model we want for Ibiza. They generate dirt and pressure on the coast,” warned the mayor.
However, from the Conselleria del Mar y Ciclo del Agua have explained that“the City Council can not prohibit free anchoring, since anchoring with anchor on sand is legal as long as it is done outside the areas marked out for bathing”.
“What the City Council can do is to manage these marked areas – which are delimited to ensure the safety of bathers – but it has no authority to restrict free anchoring in the rest of the area,” they have clarified.
Ibiza, as part of the plan for nine buoy fields
Talamanca is one of the nine regulated anchorage fields planned in the Balearic Islands for the 2026 season, along with those of Benirràs, Cala Bassa, Cala Salada, Cala Vedella, Es Xarco and Portinatx in Ibiza, and two others in the rest of the archipelago.
Once completed, all will be managed by Ports IB at the same public rates set in Law 11/1988 of the CAIB. The contract will include the annual installation, assembly and disassembly, as well as a mooring assistance service during the period of operation, between June 1 and September 30.
Ports IB currently manages eight buoy fields in the Balearic Islands, including Ses Salines (Ibiza) and s’Espalmador (Formentera).
