No quick fixes are in sight for the collapsed ecosystem of Mar Menor, Europe’s biggest saltwater lagoon. But environmental experts say that could actually be a good thing. 

The Mar Menor lagoon, a triangle of warm, shallow water that draws crowds of tourists to southeastern Spain, has suffered repeated mass die-offs of fish and vegetation blamed on chronic pollution from farms, mines and urban areas. 

Public outrage at the degradation has prompted Spain’s largest-ever investment in the restoration of a region. A long-term revival plan is focused on tackling the deep-rooted causes of the crisis. Full implementation could take decades. But success could give the whole region a more sustainable future. 

“I think it’s a great idea,” Isabel Rubio, a spokesperson for Pact for the Mar Menor, a group pushing to save the lagoon, said of the approach. “The ideas are based on nature. I think if there is any salvation for the Mar Menor, it will come from there.”