On Wednesday, 6th December 2023, the 27th Andalucía Environment Awards took place at the Palacio de Congresos in Cordoba. The event, organised by the Department of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of the Junta de Andalucía regional government, honoured eleven companies and professionals for their dedication to environmental conservation, protection and education. Among the awardees was Civitas Puerto Banús, the company managing the renowned Marbella port.
Civitas Puerto Banús has been collaborating with José Carlos García Gómez, a Marine Biology professor at the University of Seville, on a project aimed at saving the limpet Patella ferruginea from extinction. This mollusc, native to the western Mediterranean, is the most endangered intertidal species listed in the EU Habitats Directive. It is considered extinct in countries like France and Italy, and in Spain, it is as endangered as the Iberian lynx.
Since 2021, Civitas Puerto Banús and the University of Seville have been conducting a pilot project led by García Gómez, who also heads the Marine Biology Laboratory at the University. The project has successfully relocated these limpets to an artificial habitat using a novel technique. This method involves quick, manual extraction during the rising tide’s relaxation phase, followed by transportation in holding plates and watertight bags. The survival rate using this technique is as high as 95%.
This innovative method could secure the future of this species by eventually reintroducing adult specimens into natural habitats where they once existed. Juan Núñez, CEO of Civitas Puerto Banús, shared the company’s journey towards this achievement. He explained that a significant shift in the company’s management in 2017 led to a new focus on environmental impact and modernisation of infrastructures. This included efforts to protect local biodiversity, leading to the collaboration with García Gómez.
García Gómez shared that the successful translocation was the result of several failed attempts and a eureka moment. The breakthrough came when they discovered how to avoid the suction cup effect that caused the limpets to seal and die of dehydration when moved from one substrate to another. The Alborán Sea currently has the largest population of this species, but García Gómez warned that their habitat is under threat due to human accessibility and the ease of removing them. He concluded by saying, “This is how extinction starts.”
