The Bluewave Alliance is a non-profit initiative promoted by ISDIN laboratories, which supports projects aimed at restoring the health and beauty of the Mediterranean. For its presentation, the first edition of the Bluewave Days was held in Barcelona from June 12 to 16, 2023 in three venues: the Museu Marítim de Barcelona, the AXA Auditorium and L'Illa Diagonal. This event, composed of a Symposium, Awards Night and Experience, aimed to promote dialogue to promote the protection and restoration of the Mediterranean Sea, joining forces between companies, entrepreneurs and scientists.

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There is still time to recover the Mediterranean, but we must act now. This is the common message of all the participants in the first edition of the Bluewave Symposium. The symposium, organized by the Bluewave Alliance, a non-profit initiative promoted by ISDIN laboratories, supports projects aimed at restoring the health and beauty of the Mediterranean. More than 600 people followed the first Bluewave Symposium live, either in person or via streaming.

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In this first meeting for the recovery of the Mediterranean, scientists, companies and sustainability entrepreneurs have warned about the importance of joining forces to rejuvenate this sea and recover the ecosystem it had years ago.

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Dr. Kike Ballesteros, CEAB - CSIC researcher specialized in marine ecology, said that "the Mediterranean has problems, it is a sea with one of the highest densities of people on its coasts and it has also been exploited since the beginning of culture. All this has implied a sustained degradation of the Mediterranean that has increased a lot in the last 50 years".

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Therefore, "we have to take very seriously the problems we have in the Mediterranean," said Manu San Felix, marine biologist and photographer, creator of the Vellmarí Association. "These are serious problems and they have a deadline. And we must act before this deadline is met. Now is the time to stop talking and act," he adds. San Felix said that "the involvement of each of the people, companies and institutions that live in the Mediterranean is very important to change the negative dynamics that we have acquired in recent decades. We can recover the Mediterranean, we are on time and we will achieve it, but only with the participation of everyone."

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In this regard, Juan Naya, CEO of ISDIN and main promoter of the Bluewave Alliance, was convinced that "companies have a great opportunity to be part of the solution to live in a sustainable world. We are becoming increasingly aware, but many companies do not know where to start or how to do it. What the Bluewave Alliance will do is to connect companies and sustainability entrepreneurs with scientists in order to make a really significant impact".

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Aniol Esteban, director of the Marilles Foundation, spoke along the same lines and also called for collaboration between the different agents as the basis for a real impact. Fernando Casado, founder of GlobalCAD, said that this collaboration between society, companies and entrepreneurs can lead to "new types of leadership".

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The importance of the sea

"Life on our planet began underwater," recalled Manu San Félix, who added that "approximately 70% of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from the seas and oceans, in addition to providing us with food and regulating the climate. That is why the marine biologist ventured to affirm that "right now we have in the seas and oceans the best allies for a problem that we have created ourselves". And he added that "without seas and oceans there would be no life on this planet. If we have life, it is because we have water. Noelia Hernández, oceanographer and director of conservation at the Vellmarí Association, also warned about the importance of protecting the Mediterranean: "it is very easy to destroy the sea, but it is very difficult to rebuild and recover it".

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For his part, marine biologist Enric Sala, promoter of the Pristine Seas project, said that the sea today has three major threats caused by humans: pollution, climate change and overfishing. To solve the latter, Sala explained that it is necessary to reduce the fishing effort and proposes the creation of protected marine reserves with which great benefits would be achieved, starting with the regeneration of the area and the survival of species: "If we give space to the sea, the sea can recover".

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The marine biologist defended that, contrary to popular belief, the creation of protected areas increases the volume of fish available for fishing around these areas, as well as the creation of jobs related to marine exploration, so that, for every euro invested, the economic return is ten times greater. Currently only 3% of the planet's seas and oceans are protected marine reserves and the goal is for this figure to reach 30% by 2030.

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The symposium also included the participation of the Seareg Foundation, Marilles Foundation and Gravity Wave, the so-called "sustainability entrepreneurs", who highlighted the threats facing the Mediterranean and the lines of action that can help to save it. For their part, companies were represented by LG, Camper, Banc Sabadell, Danone and ISDIN, whose representatives presented their proposed solutions at a round table moderated by the environmental communicator and writer José Luis Gallego.

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First Bluewave Awards

The Bluewave Alliance has also recognized the work of professionals dedicated to the research, protection and dissemination of the care of the seas and oceans in the first edition of the Bluewave Awards, which were presented last night.

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Manu San Felix received the Bluewave Award - Public Awareness, which recognizes his contribution to the conservation and restoration of the sea through outreach, giving visibility and raising awareness of the main treasures of the Mediterranean and mobilizing society.

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The Bluewave Award - Science, which recognizes excellence in scientific research that contributes to marine conservation and restoration, went to Kike Ballesteros, in recognition of his entire professional career.

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For his part, marine biologist Enric Sala received the Bluewave Award - Lifetime Achievement, in recognition of his Pristine Seas project, which promotes the creation of marine reserves in which life can thrive.

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During the evening, the five winners of the first edition of the photography and video contest "Amamos el Mediterráneo" (We Love the Mediterranean) were also announced, whose main objective is to make citizens fall in love with the Mediterranean Sea, as well as to contribute to raising social awareness of the need to take care of the seas. The winning images of this contest can be seen in the Bluewave Experience, an exhibition installed until June 18 at L'illa Diagonal in Barcelona.

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