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The old San Javier airport is fast becoming one of the most talked-about sites in the Region of Murcia and the latest announcement gives it yet another remarkable new role. The regional government has unveiled plans for OM2, a major marine science centre dedicated to the study and recovery of the Mar Menor, which will be built on the former airfield at a cost of nearly €12 million.

 

The Mar Menor has had a tough few decades. The saltwater lagoon, which is unique in Europe, suffered a series of serious ecological crises, most notably the so-called "green soup" algae explosion of 2016 and a devastating lack of oxygen in 2019 that caused fish to die off in huge numbers.

 

Since then, the regional government has introduced a range of measures including stricter agricultural regulations, improvements to the sanitation network and a programme of environmental restoration around the lagoon's edges.

 

OM2 is intended to take that effort to a whole new level. Covering 15,000 square metres, the centre will include 21 marine tanks and seven specialist laboratories, four of which will be open to the public, along with research facilities supported by the University of Murcia, the Polytechnic University of Cartagena and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, among others. The focus will be on studying and monitoring the lagoon's ecosystem in detail, with the aim of predicting future risks and guiding the decisions needed to restore it. Species of particular concern include the seahorse, the fan mussel and the Spanish toothcarp.

 

Regional president Fernando López Miras was clear about the thinking behind it, saying "the Mar Menor doesn't need gestures, it needs applied science and data to support every public decision."

 

Around 60% of the funding comes from European Regional Development Funds, with the remaining 40% contributed by the Murcian government.

 

Earlier this month, it was announced that the European Space Agency will also be setting up a new hub at San Javier, making the old airport one of the most unexpectedly exciting locations in the whole Region.