Javier Rodríguez from Marine Forum: “If we don’t react, we will lose our maritime cultural heritage”

Javier Rodríguez: "If we don't react, we will lose our maritime cultural heritage"
STAFF WRITERS.

Maite Alvite

Modified: Monday, March 30 2026, 7.46pm

“We are at a point where we have to make a decision: either we react and make a firm commitment to study and preserve our maritime past or we lose it”, Javier Rodríguez Pandozi stated categorically during the first day of the Marine Forum. For the project director of the Balearic Institute of Marine Archaeology Studies (Ibeam), who spoke at the Future Forum, the underwater archaeological heritage of the Pitiusas and the Balearic Islands as a whole “is a species at risk of extinction”. “We are seeing it every time we dive, the archaeological remains are increasingly plundered and it is something that has been continuous and systematic for more than 40 years,” he warned. “It is a reality that sometimes the administrations do not want to take care of and they should start to do so, not only the institutions but also society in general because the maritime cultural heritage is part of our history and it is necessary to have a good understanding of our past,” he added. “We have to protect the marine environment as a whole, both the natural and the cultural environment,” he stressed.

Javier Rodríguez: "If we don't react, we will lose our maritime cultural heritage"
Posidonia of the Pitiusas
Rodríguez gave the example of the archaeological site of Punta de sa Pedrera, a wreck from the 4th century AD sunk at a depth of 75 metres in the north of Formentera, which Ibeam was studying last week and which has been “tremendously plundered”. “For us to study a site in such a bad state of conservation is like trying to read a book that has had half the pages torn out,” he lamented. Rodríguez recalled that the research carried out a few days ago is the starting point for a new agreement that Ibeam signed with the Formentera Council to study all archaeological sites submerged between 50 and 100 metres off the coast of Formentera over the next four years.
Javier Rodríguez: "If we don't react, we will lose our maritime cultural heritage"
Sunset in Sant Antoni de Portmany, West of Ibiza’s coast.
In his speech he also mentioned the work carried out over the past five years to draw up the underwater archaeological map of Formentera, a project aimed at researching, protecting and disseminating the island’s maritime cultural heritage, carried out with the direct collaboration of the local community and using a mixed system of public-private funding. Rodriguez expressed his wish that Ibiza “also joins the bandwagon” and makes a firm commitment to the study and protection of its maritime heritage.

Initiatives to defend the environment

Alba Carbonell, who moderated the Future Forum, was also one of the speakers. The co-founder of 0 Plastic spoke about the objectives of this Menorca initiative that seeks to identify and empower young leaders, to position the Balearic Islands as a tourist destination for conscious travellers and, above all, to fight against plastic pollution. Carbonell also referred to one of the projects carried out by the entity, ‘Kilometers of plastic for Iris’, with which boys and girls between 15 and 18 years old from the islands “reflected and shared alternative solutions to single-use plastic. Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global Foundation, also took part in the Future Forum. She spoke about the work carried out by this international non-profit organisation focused on ocean conservation, advising on sustainable operations, creating educational experiences and involving local communities to generate a measurable impact for the ocean. Oceanic Global, she explained, has helped hundreds of companies transition to more sustainable practices.