From planting fruit trees and protecting Ibiza’s iconic wall lizard to investigating marine plastic pollution and shark populations, IbizaPreservation has continued to widen its vital conservation work across Ibiza and Formentera.
The foundation presented its 2025 Annual Report this week at Ocean Drive Ibiza, revealing that more than €700,000 was allocated to environmental programmes over the past year - a 12% increase on 2024. Of the organisation’s total €853,000 budget, 82% went directly towards environmental action.
Far from focusing on a single issue, IbizaPreservation now manages around 20 active projects spanning agriculture, biodiversity, marine conservation, circular economy initiatives and sustainability monitoring across the islands.
Among the newest additions is the Sembra Futur Forum, designed to introduce younger generations to Ibiza and Formentera’s agricultural traditions and encourage fresh interest in the islands’ rural sector. Another new initiative, Tejiendo Futuro, developed alongside Mallorca Preservation and Menorca Preservation with support from the English electronic band Depeche Mode, investigates marine plastic pollution and promotes circular economy solutions across the Balearics.
Meanwhile, conservation efforts for Ibiza’s native wall lizard have continued to expand through practical fieldwork and public awareness initiatives. A new digital toolkit has also been developed to help residents and visitors identify and support the protection of the species.
The foundation also continued to support research into Posidonia oceanica (aka Neptune Grass) meadows around Ibiza’s coastline. Studies carried out in Talamanca and Cala Vadella continue to show worrying levels of degradation linked to anchoring, discharges and rising sea temperatures, with some areas now more than 50% damaged.
Marine conservation projects extended further offshore too. Working with GEN-GOB and the University of Oviedo, researchers using environmental DNA techniques identified eight shark and ray species in the waters surrounding Ibiza and Formentera, including manta rays and smooth-hound sharks.
Alongside scientific work, IbizaPreservation has also continued to invest in community outreach and food sustainability projects. Its Gastronomic Activists programme, aimed at reducing food waste, expanded through workshops and training sessions for chefs and hospitality professionals.
Speaking during the presentation, vice-president and co-founder Serena Cook reflected on how far the organisation has evolved since launching in 2008. What began as a way for people to “give something back” to Ibiza and Formentera has grown into a more technical and wide-reaching environmental platform with growing influence across the islands.
Executive director Inma Saranova also stressed the increasing pressure facing Ibiza and Formentera, while pointing to a community that is becoming more environmentally aware and engaged year by year.
Although fundraising dipped slightly in 2025, IbizaPreservation chose to maintain and expand key projects by drawing on reserves, while also streamlining administrative processes to ensure a greater share of resources is directed towards on-the-ground environmental programmes.
