Murcia, a south-eastern spanish region, harbors the largest Mediterranean lagoon. Here, local biodiversity has suffered from the highest mortality rate in its history : between 2019 and 2021, almost five tons of fish were found dead, floating on the water surface. They were trapped in pockets of « anoxia », a  lack of oxygen in the water. This phenomenon is due to chemical discharges in the mediterranean waters, coming mainly from near agricultural activities. The « eutrophication » of coastal areas, in particular in the lagoon of the Mar Menor, is reinforced by warmer water caused by climate change.

The Mar Menor, whose biodiversity is diminishing year by year, could soon become a « dead zone ». According to Greenpeace, for example, the number of seahorses in the region, estimated at 190,000 in 2012, is already close to zero.

In order to contrast this ecocide and protect the Mar Menor, a group of citizens have launched a popular legislative initiative to provide this lagoon legal personality. On september 2022, for the first time in Europe, the Spanish Senate ratified a law granting special protection to this saltwater lagoon…