Posidonia anchoring: only 18 cases recorded on Ibiza and Formentera

Only 18 formal reports for illegal anchoring on Posidonia seagrass were issued across Eivissa, Ibiza, and Formentera in 2025, according to Ibiza & Formentera Preservation. Fifteen proceedings were opened in Eivissa and three in Formentera, the foundation said on 21 August 2026.

The Posidonia Surveillance Service of the Ministry for Environment and Territory detected 4,813 boats anchored over the protected seagrass habitat on the two islands during 2025. Data from the Directorate-General for Natural Environment, reviewed by the Ibiza & Formentera Preservation Sustainability Observatory, indicate that reports were issued for 0.37 per cent of the vessels identified, or one for every 270 boats.

The foundation said the figures showed a need for more Balearic Government environmental officers and greater resources for the surveillance service in Eivissa. It said irregular anchoring had continued routinely over seven years and that enforcement capacity had not kept pace with detections.

Eivissa relocations rise despite fewer operations

Four of the 19 Posidonia surveillance boats operating across the Balearic Islands were assigned to Eivissa in 2025. They carried out 20,528 actions, down 8.8 per cent on 2024.

Those actions included 2,711 information measures, 1,532 advisory interventions and 16,285 checks on anchor and chain positions. Inspectors required 3,468 boats to move because they were over Posidonia, compared with 1,719 a year earlier.

The Sustainability Observatory linked the increase to inspections in newly monitored areas with high boat traffic. Relocated vessels accounted for 21.3 per cent of boats checked in Eivissa, the highest proportion in the Balearic Islands.

Surveillance activity increases in Formentera

In Formentera, surveillance actions rose from 46,785 in 2024 to 61,400 in 2025. The proportion of checked vessels that had to be moved also increased from 1 per cent to 2 per cent.

Despite the expanded work, the observatory said protection measures for Posidonia meadows needed to be applied more effectively, with stronger monitoring and action against those responsible. The foundation added that the seagrass meadows were showing signs of deterioration under anchoring pressure.

Topics: Pollença

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com