Aims:
To develop a plan for the use and protection of fields, taking into account the analysis of the situation of benthic communities in the areas studied as well as their limiting factors, and to draw up a plan to take measures in order to preserve the fields.

Plan:
These plans were developed in accordance with the European Guide for the elaboration of Management Plans affecting natural areas, and these plans were developed for all marine SCI areas included in the project , whether these were independent or integrated in other regulatory or developmental schemes.
In order to correctly execute Action A.5 , and as is required so as to effectively manage any natural space, it was necessary to first know the actual present state of the areas which were to be subjected to the new plan.
Thus, in order to develop Management Plans for marine SCI areas, all available information was compiled. The General Directorate of Fishing gathered part of this information from previous studies and surveys carried out in these areas, from results coming from other projects, and from the results obtained as a consequence of the work carried out in Action A.1. : Mapping of the Posidonia fields, Action A.2.: Surveys carried out in order to create new marine reserves, and Action A.4. : Study of the demography of Posidonia fields.

Development:
Fourteen provisional Management Plans were drawn up and worded, to be applied to the marine SCI areas of the Balearics, in accordance with article 6 of the 92/43/CEE Directive.

The action was developed in four phases:
Phase I: Drawing up and wording of the provisional Management Plans.
- The drawing up and wording of 14 provisional SCI Area Management Plans was sub-contracted or outsourced.

Phase II: Process of participation and communication.
- With the Administration’s own resources an informative and participative campaign was carried out, in which interested parties (professional and recreational fishing sector, sailors and skippers, scuba-divers, other administration bodies / boards ) were given information on the contents of the provisional Management Plans , and all suggestions and proposals from said interested parties were gathered and studied.

Phase III. Drawing up and wording of the final Management Plans.
- Staff from the Consellería de Medioambiente –Local Ministry of the Environment--worded the definitive Management Plans which included the proposals and suggestions offered by persons pertaining to the various sectors at SCI areas.

Phase IV: Approval of the Management Plans
- In order to integrate all aspects of the project in the Management Plans, a work methodology was established : at each coordination meeting ( and after a review of the degree to which each action had been carried out so far), one of the agenda points was kept free so that every partner could express their gathered knowledge and make suggestions for the management of certain SCI areas included in the project, based on an initial structured index framing the Management Plans.

- Each Management Plan will be in effect for approximately 10 years. Once this time has elapsed the Plans will be revised and depending on the results of the conservation actions implemented at each area, new actions will be proposed in order to ensure that a favourable state of conservation endures in the habitats and species which are under the protection of the Directive.
For each area, the basic Management Plan document adhered to the following guidelines:
A.- Description and singularity of the space.

1. Geography and morphology of the area.
2. Previous Studies.
3. Previous legislation affecting the space.

B.- Species present (number) and communities (enumerated)

1. Present situation of the communities living within the areas.
2. Maps, if existent.
3. Relative extension of the fields of P. oceánica situated within these areas and also in other areas of Community Interest.
4. Abundance of Community Interest species within each area.

C.- Degree of human pressure exerted in each area.

1. Resident population in the vicinity, pressure exerted by fishing activities, recreational yacht clubs and marinas, and by fishing ports.

D.- State of conservation of the habitats.

1. Damages: description and intensity.

E.- State of conservation of the species.

1.Damage: description and intensity.

F.- Proposals for conservation actions.

1. Aims.
2. Habitats and species.

As for public participation, a procedure and period of time were established so that citizens and social representatives could express their views, suggestions, proposals, complaints and allegations in relation to the previewed declaration of marked areas in the Red Natura 2000 of the Balearic Islands (and which included, obviously, the SCI areas encompassed in the project).
Said period of time and procedure to inform the general public about the elaboration of the SCI Management Plans were made public on the 17th of December 2005 by the General Director of Biodiversity, and were duly published in the BOIB (Official Announcement Bulletin of the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands) Issue number 189.
In compliance with what is established in article 44 of the Law 4/2001 dated 14th of March, passed by the Govern de les Illes Balears (Government of the Balearic Island) and published in the BOIB, Issue 35 dated 22nd April 2001, a fifteen-day period was established in order to inform the general public and to allow citizens to present whichever allegations or claims they considered pertinent in relation to the process of elaboration of the Management Plans.

The developed Management Plans for SCI areas were applied to the following:
- Marina of the North of Minorca Area
- Marina of the South of Minorca Area
- Cap Enderrocat-Cap Blanc
- S’Albufera des Grau- D’Addaia to s’Albufera
- Bays of Pollença and Alcúdia
- Costa de Llevant (West Coast)
- Es Vedrà - es Vedranell
- Archipelago of Cabrera*
- Ses Salines of Ibiza and Formentera**
- Cap Barbaria - La Mola
- Sa Dragonera
- Illots de Ponent (islets off the West Coast)

* Approved, as it was included in the PRUG (Regulation Plan for the Use and Management) of the National Marine and Land Park of Cabrera.
** Approved, as it was included in the PRUG of the Natural Park of Ses Salines of Ibiza and Formentera.

Processing state of the Management Plans:
The Management Plans have been approved by the Government Council and are to be found in the Legislation section of this web page.

Implementation of the Management Plans:
Once approved, the Management Plans were fully applied. The approval of the plans will greatly ease the work of guards as these will have a set of officially established norms with which to enforce the regulations which are stipulated upon concession of anchoring permits.

SCI area guards as well as agents from the Ministry of the Environment will be in charge of ensuring that the norms of each Management Plan are adhered to. The purported aims of this project have been achieved as the Management Plans were approved.