Growing up on the Mediterranean coast, Cabo de Palos has always been defined by the sea. For decades, this small fishing village in southeast Spain has lived alongside one of the country’s most successful Marine Reserves a protected area that transformed depleted waters into one of the richest marine ecosystems in Europe.

But protection alone does not guarantee harmony. The Marine Reserve (Islas Hormigas) has also reshaped the local economy, tourism, and the relationship between the community and the ocean. As fish stocks recovered, so did external pressures: mass tourism, recreational diving, and political disputes over who has the right to access, manage, and benefit from the sea.

This documentary follows the lives of fishermen, scientists, divers, and residents as they navigate this fragile balance between conservation and livelihood. Through their voices, the film reveals how climate change, governance, and economic interests intersect in a place where the ocean is both a source of survival and conflict.

The project was developed in close collaboration with marine scientists and local stakeholders, ensuring that the ecological and social realities of the reserve were represented with rigor and care. Scientific data on biodiversity recovery, ecosystem health, and climate stressors is woven into everyday stories, grounding personal experience in a broader environmental context.

What emerges is a portrait of a coastline in transition, a place where protection has brought both opportunity and tension, and where the future of the sea depends not only on science and policy, but on the people who live by it.

Find it here.