You can help shape how Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designed in Spain and ensure the dive sector is recognized in 30×30 decision‑making.
Governments globally have committed to protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, a goal known as 30×30, and MPAs are the primary tool for achieving this. When MPAs are well‑designed and effectively managed, they protect marine biodiversity while supporting sustainable activities like scuba diving.
The PADI Blueprint for Ocean Action is organized around five priority conservation programs that align with PADI and PADI AWARE’s mission. One of them is Marine Protected Areas with the goal to expand ocean protection through the help of our global dive community.
On a more local level, PADI AWARE® is gathering economic evidence on recreational diving across the Balearic and the Canary Islands. This data will directly inform policy conversations on how marine protection supports both healthy oceans and sustainable dive tourism.
Why MPAs Matter to the Dive Sector
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) ensure areas protect species and habitats critical for the dive sector. While governments increasingly recognize MPAs as essential tools for ocean conservation, decisions about their design and implementation are strongly influenced by economic considerations.
Healthy fish populations, intact habitats and reliable protections underpin:
- High‑quality dive experiences
- Repeat tourism and destination loyalty
- Long‑term business resilience
Well‑managed MPAs function not as barriers to development, but as national economic assets, supporting biodiversity, climate resilience, employment and community wellbeing. In fact, a recent study by researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography projected that protected dive sites could see revenue increases of up to 252% over a decade, but only if the protections are strong and effective.
Government decisions on marine protection are strongly influenced by economic evidence. This project responds directly to that reality by quantifying the economic value of recreational diving within existing MPAs and comparing it with areas lacking strong protection measures in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Our goal isn’t to measure industry profits, but to demonstrate how diving inside MPAs contributes to local economies and conservation outcomes simultaneously.
Your Role: Turning Dive Experience Into Policy-Relevant Data
PADI AWARE is conducting an economic assessment of recreational diving in the Balearic and Canary Islands, working alongside the Med Sea Alliance, whose members are working to restore the Mediterranean Sea. They are doing so by driving policy change to protect critical marine habitats and put an end to biodiversity loss as well as illegal and destructive fishing at the local, national and regional level.
The project collects data from:
- Dive centers – operations, employment and economic contribution
- Divers – travel choices, spending and the value they place on healthy marine environments
The surveys are both live until end of August 2026!
Encourage Your Divers To Participate, Too
As a PADI Pro, you are trusted by your divers and uniquely positioned to encourage them to share their experience and contribute to the economic evidence the decision-makers take into consideration.
- Download the Diver Engagement Toolkit in English
- Download the Diver Engagement Toolkit in Spanish
With a target of reaching 1,000 divers, every contribution helps strengthen the case for better marine protection.
We ask that you encourage your divers to fill in the survey. The three dive centers that generate the most diver responses will win a free PADI membership renewal for 2027*.
By supporting this project, you are:
- Translating dive experiences into data governments understand
- Strengthening the case for better‑designed, better‑managed MPAs
- Supporting Spain’s credible delivery of 30×30
You already lead underwater, guiding divers with care, responsibility and respect for the ocean.
This is your opportunity to extend that leadership above the surface by contributing your knowledge, your experience and your voice to help shape stronger marine protection. By supporting these economic surveys in the Balearic and Canary Islands, you’re helping ensure that decisions reflect the real value of diving communities and healthy ecosystems. It’s a meaningful way to stand up for the places you know so well and help protect them for the future.
