A plan to keep Spain's seas in good environmental condition

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The law creates the general framework for planning the protection of the marine environment. Its goal is to achieve or maintain good environmental status of Spanish marine waters through conservation, protection and improvement.
2. Spanish marine waters are divided into five marine demarcations (noratlántica, sudatlántica, del Estrecho y Alborán, levantino-balear and canaria). A marine strategy will be drawn up for each one; these strategies are public and binding on public authorities.
3. Each marine strategy includes several steps: assessing the state of the sea, defining good environmental status, setting environmental targets, creating monitoring programs and adopting a program of measures. Everything is updated every six years.
4. The law formally creates the Red de Áreas Marinas Protegidas de España (Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain), aimed at conserving and recovering marine natural heritage and biodiversity. State, regional and internationally protected sites can all be part of it.
5. Dumping waste at sea from ships or aircraft, incineration at sea and placing matter on the seabed are generally banned. Only limited exceptions are allowed, and they require prior authorization.
6. The law incorporates Directive 2008/56/EC on marine policy into Spanish law and sets a timeline: the initial assessment and environmental targets had to be completed by July 15, 2012, and the programs of measures applied in 2016.

Who it affects

• Public authorities (the State and the autonomous communities): They must align their policies and actions with the marine strategies and take part in preparing and monitoring them.
• Companies and activities at sea (fishing, energy, shipping, dumping): Their activities must be compatible with the marine strategies, and some require prior authorization.
• Anyone applying to dump waste at sea or build on the seabed: They need authorization, with a favorable report from the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs.
• The general public: People can take part by submitting comments on the published marine strategies.

Words worth knowing

Buen estado ambiental (good environmental status)

A situation where the seas are clean, healthy and productive, and the way they are used is sustainable.

Demarcación marina (marine demarcation)

Each of the five zones into which Spanish marine waters are divided for protection planning.

Estrategia marina (marine strategy)

The planning document for each marine demarcation, with assessments, targets and measures to protect the sea.

Bien de dominio público (public domain asset)

An asset owned by the State and intended for general use, such as territorial waters.

Principio de quien contamina paga (polluter pays principle)

The idea that whoever causes environmental damage must bear the cost of repairing it.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries