Es Freus Marine Reserve (Ibiza-Formentera)

Spain

A marine reserve covering the strait and surrounding waters between Ibiza and Formentera, created in 1999 to protect one of the largest Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean, part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

The first marine reserve created in the Balearic Islands (Decree 63/1999), it covers the Es Freus strait and adjoining waters between Ibiza and Formentera, including islets such as Espalmador and Espardell. Following a 2015 extension it protects roughly 15,353 marine hectares. It largely overlaps the Ses Salines Natural Park and protects Posidonia meadows declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. Source: CAIB, illesbalears.travel, formentera.es.