The Junta de Andalucía has installed three new ecological mooring points off the coast of Nerja to prevent diving vessels from anchoring on the seabed. They are part of a project for 25 moorings in protected areas of Málaga and Granada, with a total investment of €66,550.
Diving boats in the natural area of Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo now have three new ecological mooring points in the Nerja area. The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of the Junta de Andalucía has installed these devices so that boats do not have to anchor conventionally, thus avoiding the damage that anchors cause to reefs and posidonia meadows, as reported by Diario Sur.
The area, shared by Nerja and Almuñécar, totals eight moorings: three along the Nerja coastline and five off the Granada locality. The Junta confirms that all eight have been installed. Out of the total of 25 planned for protected areas along the coasts of Málaga and Granada, 17 have been installed so far: the eight in Maro-Cerro Gordo, five at Punta de la Mona, and four in Calahonda-Castell de Ferro.
The anchoring system varies depending on the type of seabed. In sandy areas, a 5,500-kilo concrete block is secured, reinforced with iron and featuring a stainless steel ring. If the substrate is rocky, chemical anchors are used. The installation is completed with a 32-millimetre rope, a 60-litre buoy, and a submerged buoy that keeps the line vertical to prevent it from rubbing or dragging along the seabed.
This action is particularly significant in this maritime-terrestrial space, which the Junta estimates at around 1,913 hectares and which holds four protection designations: Natural Area, Special Conservation Zone (ZEC), Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA), and Specially Protected Area of Importance for the Mediterranean (ZEPIM). Among its twelve habitats of community interest, posidonia meadows are prioritised.
The total investment amounts to €66,550 and is funded through the LIFE IP Intemares project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation, which is part of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The Junta participates as a regional administration in this initiative, which aims to improve the management of marine areas in the Natura 2000 Network through habitat restoration, scientific monitoring, and surveillance.
Human pressure on Maro-Cerro Gordo has been a topic of debate for years. In October 2025, a study by the Nature Studies Office of Axarquía (GENA)-Ecologistas en Acción inventoried around 1,500 species in the terrestrial part of the area alone. Its coordinator, biologist Rafael Yus, argued at the time that this heritage "testifies, by itself, to the importance of the natural area for its strict protection."
Underwater, the Junta highlights the extensive meadows of seagrasses and the diversity of corals, sponges, and fish that find refuge in these waters. The regional administration asserts that the new moorings are part of its strategy to promote the "sustainable use of protected areas" and reduce the impact of recreational activities.
The three moorings in Nerja are part of a network that will continue to grow along the Granada coast until the 25 devices are completed: ten at Punta de la Mona and seven at Calahonda-Castell de Ferro, in addition to the eight already installed in Maro-Cerro Gordo.
You may also like
