island in Spain
Tabarca is an island off the coast of Alicante in Valencia. The waters of the island form part of a protected marine reserve.
The marine reserve has a variety of marine fauna including sea bass, grouper, conger eel, and gilthead, and was declared a Zone of Special Protection for Birds by the EU. It is surrounded by very clear and unpolluted waters. The island is formed by materials of volcanic origin on top of which limestone and quaternary deposits have settled.
Tabarca was the last Spanish Mediterranean location where the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal successfully bred before it became extinct in this part of its range in the 1960s. This proves the high quality of the waters around the island in terms of marine ecology. Therefore, waters around Tabarca were declared a marine reserve in 1986, the first of its kind in Spain. This status was mainly granted due to its submarine posidonia prairie, which is the largest in the Spanish Mediterranean and has an extraordinary ecological value in terms of marine fauna and flora.
In order to enhance the marine biodiversity and protect it from fishing, an artificial reef was laid near the island by the Marine Reserve authorities.
There is a ferry that leaves from Santa Pola every hour.
The closest airport to Tabarca is the Alicante Airport.
The island has no automobiles, and the only way of getting around is by foot. However, this does not pose a problem, as walking around the whole island does not take more than 3 hours.