Mijas hosts the Pradera Marina Viva Festival to raise awareness of these ecosystems and their biodiversity

The town of Mijas in Malaga, which you can read about here, will host the Pradera Marina Viva Festival on the upcoming June 6th. This event is a public awareness and participation initiative focused on the conservation and restoration of seagrass meadows and their biodiversity. Coinciding with the celebrations around World Environment Day, the festival will take place on June 6th at Torreón Beach in Cala de Mijas from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Specifically, as detailed by the City Council in a statement, this is a fun event designed to connect the community with the knowledge and care of seagrass meadows. The festival is part of an environmental conservation project aimed at preserving and restoring seagrass meadows, a key ecosystem for the health of the oceans.

Seagrass meadows contribute large amounts of oxygen that help improve water quality and clarity; they are significant CO2 sinks; they host immense biodiversity as they provide shelter, breeding grounds, and food for countless marine species; they protect the coast against storms as their roots anchor the sand and sediments to the sea bed, which helps maintain beach stability; they retain nutrients, filter the water improving turbidity, prevent the proliferation of invasive algae, and maintain ecosystem balance.

The initiative adopts a comprehensive approach that combines environmental education, scientific dissemination, research, and public participation, with the goal of engaging the community in the protection of their marine and coastal environment. The festival offers a free, open program designed to attract families, youth, visitors, and the local community. In the morning, there will be a guided interpretive tour of the beach and a snorkeling tour specifically for volunteers from the Creamar Mijas group, to observe the biodiversity and conservation status of the seagrass meadow in Calahonda, with prior registration required.

In the afternoon, attendees will connect with seagrass meadows through experiences in the lab, environmental education workshops, poetry, research projects for the regeneration of seagrass meadows, children's theater, virtual reality glasses, photography exhibitions, micro-lectures, face painting, local crafts, and a concert to end the day.

The Pradera Marina Viva Festival is designed to transform leisure into a tool for environmental awareness, offering an educational, accessible, and attractive experience that promotes collective commitment to marine conservation. The initiative aims not only to bring scientific knowledge to the public but also to strengthen the role of local entities in protecting their ecosystems, generating a positive impact both environmentally and socially.

The event is driven by the Mediterranean Marine Classroom Foundation (FAMM), with support from the Unicaja Foundation and collaboration from the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment of the Regional Government and the Mijas City Council.