Template for Submission of Scientific Information to Describe Areas Meeting Scientific Criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas Title/Name of the area: Balearic Islands Area Presented by: Greenpeace International as a submission to the Mediterranean Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), 7 to 11 April 2014, Málaga, Spain. Contact person: Sofia Tsenikli, Senior Political Advisor, Email:
[email protected]; tel: +30 6979443306 Information in this submission has been presented at the CBD Expert Workshop on Scientific and Technical Guidance on the use of Biogeographic Classification Systems and Identification of Marine Areas beyond national jurisdiction in need of protection, 29 September - 2 October 2009, in Ottawa, Canada, and is included in the official report of the workshop which can be accessed here. Abstract The Balearic Archipelago is one of the richest European regions in terms of marine animal species diversity and is characterized by a wide range of ecosystem types (e.g. maërl beds, Leptometra beds, soft red algae communities, Posidonia meadows, etc) (Aguilar et al.,2007b) . Some of these communities are considered rare on a European scale. The area’s complex oceanography results in high levels of productivity, reflected by its importance as a feeding ground for a wide range of species, including fin and sperm whales, loggerhead turtles and as a crucial spawning ground for threatened Bluefin tuna. The area is also an important breeding ground for the endemic Balearic shearwater. Introduction In 2006 Greenpeace published a proposal for a regional network of large-scale marine reserves with the aim of protecting the full spectrum of life in the Mediterranean (see Figure 1) (Greenpeace 2006).